Break from the Ordinary
by the go-to guy
Summary: Princess Moka meets Ordinary boy Tsukune and embraces the feeling that they get around each other. But how will they stay together in the face of perverted suitors, jealous princesses, and wannabe girlfriends?
1. Two different lives

**CHAPTER 1**

**TWO DIFFERENT LIVES**

The princess sighed. There was nothing to do around the castle… _again._ She had already read all of the books in the library, and she had already beaten Koka that day. After that had been done, there really wasn`t anything else to do. The servants didn`t offer any entertainment, and her parents were always busy. She stared out of her window at the townspeople below with envy. She had never been allowed outside the castle, and every day was the same: wake up, breakfast, school, lunch, free time, dinner, bedtime. It was monotonous as anything, and she never experienced anything new. She was jealous off all the townspeople; they might have had a similar schedule, but they were able to see new sights and experience new things every day. She would be lucky to get an arranged marriage and live as a queen…but that wasn`t the life that she wanted. She wanted to be free. Somehow.

Her silent revere was broken by a knocking at her door. "Enter." She said. A servant entered. He was wearing a plain black outfit, with matching slacks. His face was plain, nothing special, and not even his wavy brown hair, the only person in the house with it, stood out. If the princess recalled correctly, his name was Corma…?

"Princess Moka," he started. "Prince Gin is here." Moka groaned. Of all of the potential suitors, the most annoying and perverted one just had to be the most likely candidate. "Well, just tell him to go away. I would rather lose to Koka then marry that perverted jerk." Corma sighed. "I will let him know." He exited the room. Moka`s regained peace, however, was again interrupted not a minute later when the door of her bedroom was thrown open by Prince (of pervs) Gin.

"Well helllllllo, Princess!" Gin said in what he thought was a suave voice, but was actually rather sickening to the ear. "When I heard that you didn`t want to see me, I just knew that you were feeling ill, so I came to check up on you!"

"And why did you think that I was ill?" Moka asked with an air of indifference that Gin didn`t catch onto.

"Because you didn`t want to see me, of course!" Gin answered in the same voice as before.

"I assure you, I`m perfectly fine. Now please leave." Moka ordered. But Gin had stopped paying attention, and was instead looking at Moka`s bed. It had a rich velvet red cover, a deep sky blue pillow, and purple drapes. It screamed nobility with it`s beauty, but Gin`s head was elsewhere.

"Ah, yes… to think that one day I will make love to you in such a lovely bed…" His muttering was cut off when Moka`s foot met his face and sent him flying out of the still-open door, which Moka promptly shut after saying "I _told _you to get out of my room." Moka went over to the window again. She didn`t want to marry Gin; she wanted to live life the way that she wanted too! She wanted to be like the people…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yukari, wait up!" Tsukune called out after his younger sister. She was always like this: running around trying to avoid doing her chores. She was only 11, after all. But when she ran around the town, she tended to cause trouble; it was by accident sure, but it was trouble nonetheless. "Gotcha!" he cried out, grabbing his younger sister by the arm.

"Tsukune! Let me go!" Yukari cried out indignantly. "I don`t want to do chores!"

"I know you don`t Yukari," Tsukune said in a soothing voice, bending down so that they were ey-to-eye. "But if you don't do them then I have to!"

"So?" Yukari asked. "You`re strong; you can do them! I`m too weak!"

"If you do you`re chores, you`ll be strong like me!" Tsukune said good-naturedly. He took his sisters hand and stood up, but was shoved to the ground before he could reach his full height. Tsukune looked at his aggressor and saw one of the boys in the village who hated him: Saizo Komiya.

"Hey, lady-killer." Saizo said in a sarcastic voice. "Where`s that girlfriend of yours?"

"She isn`t my girlfriend!" Tsukune protested. "She just acts like it!" Even he couldn`t deny that.

"What are you doing to my beloved Tsukune-san?" A creepy sound rang through the air, and Yukari cringed. She knew that voice, and she wasn`t very fond of the owner. The owner of the voice came into view; it was a girl with shoulder-length purple hair and matching eyes. She had a lollipop in her mouth, but there wasn't a lot more that could be described because she was hidden behind a building. That didn`t stop Tsukune`s aggressors from freaking out.

"Crap! It`s the she-devil! Run!" The jerks ran away with their tails between their legs. Mizore stepped out from behind the building. She was wearing an ordinary brown dress with a white shirt. The shirt had purple stripes on it, which accented the natural purple of her looks.

"Thanks for saving me, Mizore." Tsukune said, getting up from the ground and dusting himself off.

"It`s no problem Tsukune-san." Mizore said in the creepy monotone voice. Yukari couldn`t leave it at that, however.

"How did you know that Tsukune was in trouble!" Yukari demanded to know. Mizore looked at the young girl.

"I always know what my beloved is doing." Mizore said simply. Tsukune sweatdropped.

"Mizore, I appreciate you helping me, but you really don`t need to follow me around all the time." Tsukune said this more as a request than a statement. Mizore didn`t realize this.

"It`s okay, Tsukune. I want to…" Mizore grappled Tsukune`s arm as she said this, resulting in Tsukune blushing and Yukari getting angry.

"Mizore! Get your hands off of my brother!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Moka was looking out at the people when something caught her eye; in one of the squares, some of the villagers had stopped working and were looking at what appeared to be a little girl yelling at an older one who had her arms wrapped around a boy. Desperate for a chance to get out of the castle, Moka called out.

"Corma! There are townspeople fighting! Bring me to them immediently!"


	2. Townspeople for hire

**CHAPTER 2**

**TOWNSPEOPLE FOR HIRE**

"Mizore! Please stop harassing Yukari!" Tsukune cried out. Mizore was chasing Yukari in circles around the square, Yukari wailing for big brother to come save her from the mean stalker girl. They were causing such a commotion that some of the other townspeople had stopped what they were doing in order to watch, laughing at the scene as they did. Suddenly, their laughter was cut short as they someone very important enter the area. The townspeople dropped whatever they were holding and bowed deeply, as was custom when in the presence of the princess.

Everyone except Mizore, Yukari, and Tsukune, that is.

"Hey! Townspeople!" Moka called out. The three troublemakers stopped when they heard the voice that was filled with authority. When they turned to see who it was, they were stunned to see their beautiful princess in all her glory. She was wearing a dress that was form-fitting and left very little to the imagination. It was a beautiful scarlet red colour that matched her eyes. Beside her, a servant wore a royal green suit that was embroidered with blue around the hems. However, they only thing that they were concerned about was the fact that the princess was seeing them act like children. They quickly stopped running around in circles and bowed as deeply as they could. "Hello, Princess Moka." They said in unison, acting like they weren't just acting like complete morons in front of the princess. Moka looked at them all bowing down and decided to have a little fun.

"Why were you all running around and causing a ruckus?" Mizore looked up and spoke.

"Some of the local idiots were torturing my beloved, so I stopped them, then the little girl-" she gestured to Yukari, who at this point had looked up as Tsukune did the same "- started chasing me around. So, it is all the idiots and the little girls fault." Mizore said.

"Really?" Moka asked, raising an eyebrow. With a mischievous smirk she turned to Yukari. "What`s your name?"

"Yukari-chan, your highness!" Yukari said chipperly. "What really happened is that some bullies were picking on my brother. Just when he was about to fight back, this meanie girl-" She pointed at Mizore, who ignored it. "Came in and the boys saw how ugly she was, then they ran away because of how hideous she was. In order to protect Tsukune`s eyes, I started chasing after her. So, it`s all Mizore and those bullies fault!" When she finished, Mizore suddenly started chasing her around saying "I am not hideous" With anger in her monotone voice. Tsukune started after them, but was stopped when he felt a strong hand grab the collar of his worn shirt. He turned around and saw Moka holding him back.

"You must be Tsukune." She said. Tsukune nodded. "Tsukune, I noticed that the commonality in those two stories was you being picked on. Care to explain?" Her tone of voice let Tsukune know that he did, indeed care to explain. She let him go then crossed her arms and waited for the answer.

"Well, you see, your highness," Tsukune shakily stared. "There is a group of boys who are jealous of me because they think that Mizore and I are dating, even though I've told them time and time again that we aren`t. Today, they were about to attack me, Mizore came and scared them away before they hurt me or Yukari. So, Mizore actually saved us." Tsukune finished speaking. There were sounds of bickering and general mayhem being caused in the silence. "Excuse me, your highness." Tsukune bowed, then turned and went to settle the dispute between Mizore and Yukari. Moka watched the three of them with interest. They were the first "common" people that she had ever met, and they only proved what she had suspected: you were free if you were ordinary. Suddenly, she had an idea. She turned to Corma.

"Corma, go back to the castle. I wish to spend the remainder of the day here."

"B-but your highness!" Corma stuttered out, stunned. "Why on Earth would you want to do that? These common people are so unruly and-"

"Are you suggesting that I can`t take care of myself Corma?" Moka asked, letting him know that she was insulted by the very inference. Corma turned pale.

"N-no your highness!"

"Then what is the issue?"

"But, you are the princess! Why would you want to spend a day with the townspeople?" Corma asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, if I am going to rule them one day, I would like to get to know them so as to better myself when I become the queen."

"You have servants for that!"

"Nothing beats firsthand experience Corma."

"But-"

"Corma, are you arguing with me?" Moka asked with a menacing undertone in her voice.

"Of course not, your highness!"

"Then I will see you back at the castle." Moka turned and walked away without so much as a second glance. She strolled towards the trio that she had been talking to earlier and saw that Tsukune had managed to calm down the two girls, and was now staring at her as she approached them. "Good news!" She said to them. "You will all be my guides for the day!" She saw their eyes widen as they heard the news and smirked to herself as she thought _this is going to be fun._

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Sorry if the chapter is a little short; I just figured that this is the best way to leave off.

Anyway, please R&R!

Next time: A DAY OF FREEDOM!


	3. A secret is revealed

I know I said that this chapter would be called "A day of freedom," but I had a better idea and changed it. Sorry to lead you guys on, but you got the better edition. Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 3**

**A SECRET IS REVEALED**

"And this is the town market…" Tsukune said. He, Yukari, and Mizore were doing exactly as Moka wanted them to do: giving her a tour of the town. Tsukune was leading the way, while Moka strutted along behind him. Yukari and Mizore trailed along at the end of the line, Yukari nervously walking along, while Mizore was acting like nothing was wrong and doing that thing where when she walks it looks like she`s floating. Moka was looking around, absorbing all of the sights and sounds that the town had to offer. There were so many things that the town had that the castle didn`t! Houses, the marketplace, horse and carriage… Moka was in awe (though she was doing her best to hide it)! Tsukune looked back at her as she was looking around and smiled.

"It`s interesting isn`t it?" Moka was startled out of her gazing by his voice. She looked at him, blushing that he was able to tell how she was feeling.

"Y-yes. Yes it is." Moka said. Tsukune laughed at how uncomfortable she obviously was. Moka`s blush deepened. "Are you making fun of me?" Moka asked in a somewhat commanding voice while jabbing her finger towards him.

"No, princess!" Tsukune quickly said, waving his hands in front of himself like a shield. "I would never insult you like that!"

"But I`m about to." Mizore said, interrupting. Tsukune gestured that she shouldn`t say anything, but for once Mizore ignored him. Moka turned towards the purple-haired girl and put her hands on her hips.

"Well, then go ahead. Insult me." Her tone was standoffish. They made eye contact, and Mizore began to speak.

"I don`t think that you care about the people. You are probably only visiting us to make yourself seem better when you become queen." Moka stared at Mizore, slowly becoming enraged.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Moka nearly screamed. "Everything looks fine!"

"Exactly; looks fine. Don`t take everything at face value. Take Tsukune for example-"

"That`s enough Mizore!" Tsukune cut her off with a pleading tone. "Please don`t say any more…" Tsukune whispered desperately. He turned back towards Moka, hoping to shrug off her last comment, but when he saw Moka`s face he knew it wasn`t going to be that easy. Her face was a mixture of curiosity and determination, but mostly curiosity.

"Tsukune, what is she talking about?"

"Princess, I-"

"Tsukune, tell me!" Tsukune sighed, knowing that he wasn`t going to win the fight. He and Yukari shared a glance, then they both looked at Moka.

"It would be better if I _showed _you…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moka was shocked. Before her was a cabin-like house. It`s door was rotting, the roof had holes, and the house was obviously too small for the four people that Tsukune said it contained (him, Yukari, his mom, and his dad). Moka turned to the brother and sister duo.

"You live here?" Tsukune rubbed the back of his neck and blushed while Yukari found something very interesting on the ground. Moka quickly realized her mistake and tried to fix it. "Um, I-I mean…"

"Tsukune! Yukari! Mizore! Is that you? Who`s your friend?" A female voice cut through the air, saving Moka of the embarrassment of trying to fix her stupid statement. When Moka looked, she saw a women who couldn`t have been more than 30 years old leaning out of the rotted door. She had short brown hair, and was wearing an apron that defiantly had seen better days.

"We`ll be right there, Mom!" Tsukune called back. He turned towards Moka. "Princess, I`m going to introduce you to my family. Please don`t mention taxes." He begged.

"Taxes? Why?" Moka asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, you see…" Tsukune struggled for an explanation.

"The taxes are the reason that we live in this shack." Yukari said matter-of-factly. Tsukune, Moka, and Mizore all looked at the toddler, who, oblivious to the stares, skipped towards the house. "C`mon everyone!" she said, turning around and waving to the group. Tsukune shrugged and followed her, and Mizore did that gliding-thing behind Tsukune. Moka slowly followed them, thinking about what Yukari had said. _It`s because of the taxes…_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that`s that! Next chapter there will be a big plot point, so I hope that you all stay tuned! By the way, I`m getting the feeling that my chapters are too short. Could you tell my your opinion?


	4. An interesting offer

**CHAPTER 4**

**AN INTERESTING OFFER**

"Welcome home you two!" Tsukune`s mother said as Tsukune and Yukari came closer. "Hello Mizore!" She greeted her children`s friend. She hesitated when she saw Moka; unlike most of the villagers, she had never seen the princess before, so she had no idea who this beautiful girl that her son had brought home with him was. She turned to him. "Tsukune, have you finally gotten a girlfriend?" She whispered to him. Tsukune`s face turned red and Yukari giggled.

"N-no! Of course not Mom!" Tsukune quickly corrected. By this time, Moka had reached them and was looking at the mother and son curiously. Tsukune cleared his throat and gestured to Moka. "Mom, this is Princess Moka." Tsukune`s mothers` eyes widened. The princess? At her house? She frantically brushed her hands of any invisible dirt on her apron, and then stuck out her hand to shake with the princess.

"It`s a pleasure to meet you, princess!" She said as Moka took her hand. "You can call me Kasumi!" Moka didn`t know how to react to this chipper woman, so she just nodded and followed them inside. Moka looked around. She was in a small room with a worn-down welcome mat beneath her feet. To her right, there was a door-less entryway to a slightly bigger room with a beat up couch and some floor mats. In front of her there was an entrance to what appeared to be a kitchen, as the smell of soup was wafting into her nose from that direction. To her left was the bedroom, with the bed scattered around the room. Moka could see a bucket underneath the hole in the roof at the center of the room. Moka was brought out of her gazing by a tug on her dress that when she looked saw it was Yukari pulling her towards the kitchen. Kasumi made everyone sit down, even Moka (despite her protests that she wasn`t hungry). While they were having dinner, Kasumi started some conversation. "So princess, what do you think of the town?" Moka was not expecting the question, so it took a few seconds to formulate the answer.

"It`s very nice. It has a nice atmosphere and-"

"No thanks to you and your family." Mizore cut her off mid-sentence. Tsukune, Kasumi, and Yukari froze. Moka`s eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Look around you, _princess._" Mizore embellished the title in a way that was clearly disrespectful. "Do you think that this is an uncommon thing? What magical cloud do you live on?" Truthfully, Moka had never really given much thought to the state of the town; she had just trusted that her parents were doing a good job. Seeing this, however, made her reconsider her position. Mizore misinterpreted her silence, and turned to Tsukune to gloat. "See Tsukune? She clearly doesn-"she stopped when she realized that Tsukune`s attention wasn`t on her, but on Moka. Moka however, didn`t notice this: she was too busy glaring at Mizore. Then her anger faded as the truth sunk in: she was right. This wasn`t uncommon. She couldn`t help everyone. _But_, Moka realized, _I can help these people. _She turned to Kasumi.

"Pardon me for asking, but what does your husband do for a living?" Kasumi seemed a bit taken aback at the question.

"He`s a merchant; he sells goods at the marketplace every day." _Perfect._ Moka thought. She turned to Tsukune, who could tell from the look in her eyes that his princess had something on her mind.

"Tsukune," she said in the same commanding voice that she had used on him in the town, "how would you like to come and work at the castle as a servant?" The room was silent for a moment. Then, Tsukune broke the silence by saying something that summarized the collective thoughts of everyone in the room: "Um, what?"

"Well, you see Tsukune," Moka started to say. "When someone works for the royal fam-"

"Do you really think that little of us?" Tsukune quietly asked. Moka was confused for a second, then her eyes widened as she realized what he had inferred from her offer. She quickly tried to rephrase what she said.

"Tsukune, that's not what I meant!" Moka said. "What I meant was that when you work for the royal family, you don`t have to pay taxes! I didn`t mean to insult you or your family!" Tsukune let out a breath that he didn`t know he was holding. He stared at Moka.

"What are the circumstances?"

"Well, you`ll be able to see your family, and you`ll have to live at the castle. You`ll be my personal servant, so you`ll have to answer to me." Moka said.

"Tsukune, you can`t seriously be considering this!" Mizore said. "Mrs. Aono, don`t you have something to say?" Kasumi was simply sitting there looking back and forth from her son to her princess, unsure of what to do. They could use the help, but to not have Tsukune around the house…

"I`ll do it." Tsukune said with determination.

For some reason, Moka felt her heart beat a little faster.

XXXXXXXXX

"Good morning Princess." Corma said, pulling up the shades to her room as he did every morning. Moka groaned and turned over.

"Corma, what time is it?" Moka mumbled in her half-asleep state.

"The same time that I always wake you up Princess: 7 o`clock sharp." Moka`s eyes opened, now fully awake, and she jerked up.

"Tsukune will be here any minute!" Moka exclaimed.

"Ah, yes, the new recruit." Corma said with a hint of distaste that Moka didn`t pick up on.

"Corma, I want you to show Tsukune the ropes and show him around. Make sure that he`s comfortable in his new room. Understand?" Corma`s normally infallible smile faltered for a moment.

"Yes your highness. Is there anything else that you need?"

"No, thank you Corma." Before anything else could transpire, however, there was a shout from downstairs.

"Princess! The new recruit is here!"

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So, what do you think so far? Next time, Ruby and Koka will make an appearance. Also, don`t expect Moka`s parents to make an appearance, because I read the manga as it comes out in stores, not online, and in the manga so far, Akuha is just making her appearance. So, yeah. Anyway, thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated!


	5. First day on the job

**CHAPTER 5**

**FIRST DAY ON THE JOB**

Tsukune was waiting with his backpack of stuff on the outside of the castle that lay just outside of the town, up on a large hill. It had been there for as long as anyone could remember, and Tsukune never thought that he would enter it, here he was, about to call it his new home. His train of thought was interrupted by a tugging on his pant leg. When he looked down, he saw Yukari shivering with tears in her eyes. "Tsukune, why do you have to go and live in the big scary castle?" She wasn`t lying; the castle WAS scary. It was as tall as three of the townspeople`s house stacked on top of each other, and as long as it was tall. It was made out of solid stone, and the windows did little to help it intimidating appearance. The door that Tsukune was currently standing in front of was twice as tall as he was. It scared him, but he was being strong for his little sister and the family and friend (he only had Mizore) that had come to see him off. He picked up Yukari.

"It`s okay Yukari," he said to comfort her. "You`ll still be able to visit me! Go back to mom and dad and Mizore, okay? I`m just about to leave." He put her down and nudged her towards his family. He watched her walk over and saw his mother and father there waving along with Mizore. His mom had on a sad face, and Mizore had on her normal face (neutral). His dad`s face was bizarre. It was… proud. Tsukune sighed in exasperation as he remembered why exactly his father was so proud…

FLASHBACK

Tsukune`s fathers` eyes were wide open, and his mouth was hanging by the hinges of his jaw. Tsukune had just told his father the news, and was a little frightened at how he was taking it.

"Dad? DAD!"

"Tsukune…"

"Yes Dad? What is it?"

"That…is…INCREDIBLE!" His father shouted as he jumped up from his chair, waving his arms back and forth. Tsukune and his mother were blown away.

"What?" Tsukune and his mother shouted at the same time.

"My boy is growing up! He managed to figure out a way to support the family and score the princess! That`s my boy!" Tsukune`s father grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him around in excitement. "That`s my boy!"

The rest of the night went something like that.

FLASHBACK END

He was snapped out of his flashback by the sound of a large creak that came from behind him. He turned and saw the person that was accompanying Moka yesterday answering the door. "Hello." He said in a monotone voice that reminded Tsukune of Mizore. "I am glad to see that you arrived so quickly. Please come in." Tsukune turned and looked at his family and Mizore. This was the moment of truth. He stepped inside of the castle and waved farewell.

"Goodbye!" He said. "I`ll see you next time you visit.

"Goodbye Tsukune!" His farewell party said in unison. Then the oak door closed and Tsukune saw no more. He turned around and nearly gasped at the room that lay in front of him. There were two large windows on either side of the spacious room that allowed plenty of light to stream in. below them, there were four torches(tow on each side) to be lit at night. On the floor was a large multi-colored carpet made of rich velvet that was so exquisite that Tsukune was afraid to walk on it. Beyond that lay a hallway to the left that led deeper into the first floor of the house, and on the right side a large staircase led to the upper floors of the castle. It was one of the most lavish things that Tsukune had ever seen.

"It`s magnificent…" Tsukune whispered. Corma scoffed.

"What an idiot." He said under his breath.

"What?" Tsukune asked, ever innocent. Corma ignored his question but turned to him regardless.

"My name is Corma, and I will be showing you around today."

"Nice to meet you Corma!" Tsukune held out his hand, which Corma just stared at until Tsukune let it fall back down to his side. "I am your BOSS, Mr. Aono (Moka had told Corma his full name), not your friend. Now, before I show you the Princesses room, I will have to show you the rest of the castle. Follow me." Corma strolled towards the staircase, with Tsukune not far behind.

XXXXXX

An hour later, they had finished with the upstairs of the castle. Tsukune`s head was spinning from all of the directions and things that he had learned. He worried that he wasn`t going to be able to remember everything, but he didn`t let his worry show. "It`s for my family." He kept telling himself. "Keep it together for them." Corma and Tsukune descended the stairway and stopped in front of the hallway on the bottom floor. Corma once again turned towards Tsukune. It was the first time they had made eye contact since they had gone upstairs.

"Mr. Aono, since the servants live upstairs, what must be down this hall?"

"Um…. The royal family?"

"Yes, yes. Very good. Normally, I would introduce you to all of them but Kahula and Akuha are with their husbands (they had already been married off) and the King and Queen are off on a democratic mission." They started walking down the hallway. Unlike the second floor, there were no windows, so the only light came from torches lined up on the wall, casting an eerie glow. "The only people currently in this hallway are Princess Moka, Princess Koka, and the royal witch Ruby." They stopped in front of a small door that was painted lime green. "This is where Ruby lives." Corma knocked three times.

"Come in!" A sweet voice called from inside. Corma opened the door and strolled inside, followed by a hesitant Tsukune. Inside, the windows at the far of the room let in the light so that Tsukune could see the shelves and shelves of beakers, jars of bizarre material, and various other knick-knacks. Tsukune leaned towards the jar closest to him and read the label.

_Dandelion Snot. _Tsukune decided to not read the labels.

He looked towards the center of the room, where he saw the strangest sight of them all: there was a large black cauldron in the center of the room that was set over a fire, and it was being stirred by a woman who looked to be about 18-19 years old that was wearing an ankle-length black dress, and on her hands she was wearing white gloves that seemed pretty worn. Her raven black hair reached all the way down her back, and in her hands was a wooden spoon that was stirring the green liquid in the cauldron. When Tsukune entered the room, she paused in her stirring, and looked up with a confused look on her face. Her eyes honed in on Tsukune, and she dropped the spoon and dashed over to him. Tsukune froze as she got closer, and she scanned him from top to bottom. She brought up her hand, and Tsukune flinched.

"Hi! My name is Ruby! I`m a witch!" she said in a strangely bubbly voice. "You must be the new guy; Tsukune right? They didn`t say that you were going to be such a cutie!" Tsukune blushed, looked at her, then took her hand and shook it.

"Um, hi Ruby. I`m Tsukune Aono, the new servant. Um… why were you looking at me funny?" Ruby giggled as she let go of his hand.

"Oh, I just sensed some magical aura about you, that`s all. But it`s gone now."

"Really? You sensed magic in me?" Tsukune asked in awe. Before Ruby could reply however, Corma interrupted.

"Well, this is an interesting conversation, but we really must be going now Ruby. Get back to whatever you were doing." Ruby frowned, but walked back over to her caldron and picked up the spoon as Corma escorted Tsukune out of the door.

"Good bye Tsukune!" Ruby called out. Tsukune managed to wave goodbye before Corma shut the door on him.

"Next up is Princess Koka." Corma said with a tone of voice that sent chills up Tsukune`s spine.

XXXXX

They walked a little farther down the hallway until they reached a door that had the words "Keep Out or Else!" Carved into the door. Corma didn`t knock this time, but simply called out "It`s Corma!" And stepped back.

"Enter!" a snarled demand seemed to rip through the door. Corma gestured towards the door, indicating that Tsukune should open it. Tsukune gulped, gathered his courage, opened the door… and was promptly tackled to the ground by what seemed to be a bulldozer. Tsukune could see that the thing that had taken him down had the face of a rather attractive girl, or who would otherwise be attractive if it`s teeth were gnashed together in anger and it`s blood-red eyes inches from Tsukune`s chocolate-brown ones. "You`re not Corma!" The girl snarled. Tsukune realized that this was Princess Koko (I just realized that I have been spelling her name wrong this entire time! Please forgive me; I'll spell it right from now on, I promise!).

"I`m right here, Princess Koko." Corma`s voice said from somewhere to Tsukune`s left. Koko looked up at him.

"Is this idiot with you?" she growled out.

"Unfortunately yes. This is your sister`s new servant." Corma replied in a voice that clearly had distain in it.

"Really?" Koko said in a menacing tone that Tsukune knew couldn`t be could. Koko leaped off of him. "Get up!" She ordered, hands on her hips. Tsukune staggered to his feet, still a little wobbly from the tackle. He looked around. There was a lavish bed in the left corner of the room, and next to it was an unusually large cage in which a small bat was presently taking a nap. They seemed out of place in the otherwise threadbare room. It was illuminated by a single large window on the far wall, and wit this natural light Tsukune could see that on the left wall, near the bed, were dozens of weapons lined up neatly along the wall, with a few others scattered on the floor. In the middle of the floor was a practice dummy that had clearly seen better days. It was nearly broken, and had cuts everywhere. In the right corner of the room, Tsukune could see the remains of old dummies piled high. He was suddenly struck with the urge to leave the room. Right now. However, he was unable to move due to the fact that Koko was looking at his up and down, just as Ruby had done. She scoffed. "How unimpressive! He won`t even be able to stand one round with me!" She said. "Here, I`ll prove it!" She lifted her leg in preparation for attack and Tsukune braced himself for a world of pain, but then Corma held up his hand.

"As much as I would like that Princess Koko, I don`t think that your sister would appreciate you killing her new servant on his first day." Koko looked with distaste at Corma as she realized that he was right. She lowered her foot and turned around. "Get out of my room! I need to train more so that I can beat my sister!"

"Yes, Princess. Tsukune." Corma turned and left. Tsukune dashed out after him, and the door slammed shut as he left.

"Hey, thank you for stopping her." Tsukune said to Corma.

"I didn`t do it for you!" Corma snapped. Tsukune was surprised; it was the first time he had seen Corma act so unprofessional. However, he quickly regained his composure and turned around. "The tour is over." He said. "It`s time to bring you to Princess Moka." He walked down the hallway, and Tsukune followed him cautiously.

XXXXXXX

"This is it." Corma said. He stopped in front of an ordinary door; nothing special about it. In fact, if Corma hadn`t said otherwise, Tsukune would have wondered why one of the servants was living with the royal family. "Just one thing before we go in." Corma said, still looking at the door.

"Yes? What is it?" Tsukune asked, curious. All of a sudden, Corma pivoted and his elbow met Tsukune`s chest as Corma threw him against the wall. Tsukune dropped his bag in surprise and pain. Corma shoved his face very close to Tsukune`s; he could see the anger in Corma`s eyes.

"Listen up you little punk: Princess Moka is MINE!" Corma spit out. Tsukune`s eyes widened; had he heard that correctly? "I`ve been working here for almost my entire life. I know her better than almost anyone in this castle! It`s bad enough seeing stuck-up princes try to win her over, but now you come along and think you can replace me? Not going to happen! This is your only warning punk: lay off of Princess Moka!" Corma released Tsukune and turned towards the door again, brushing himself to remove any creases in the suit before he knocked on the door. Tsukune was left leaning against the wall, catching his breath and thinking to himself _What have I gotten myself into?_

XXXXXXXX

Boom! Chapter five is done! Looking it over, I realize that this is the second-longest thing that I've ever written (the first being You Belong With Me), mostly because so much is happening. And about Koko`s name; I was re-reading the manga yesterday and I realized that I`ve been spelling it wrong this entire time! Sorry! Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, and check back soon for chapter six!


	6. Tsukune's new life

Well, I decided to write chapter 6 again. Yayz for being productive!

XXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 6**

**TSUKUNE'S NEW LIFE **

Corma dislodged himself from Tsukune and spun around, smoothing out his suit while his poor victim was left shaking in confusion and wondering what the heck just happened. "Stand up straight!" Corma snapped at Tsukune, who quickly complied after picking up his bag for fear of another attack. Seeing that he was obeyed, Corma knocked on the door and was told to come in by a voice that Tsukune recognized as the voice that belonged to the princess. It perplexed him, her voice; it seemed cold and somewhat emotionless, but there was an undertone of tenderness that wasn't apparently obvious. It only added to the enigma that everyone knew as Princess Moka Akashiya. Something about that mystery drew Tsukune in. But, it was not the time for musing; Corma had opened the door. Tsukune walked in and was momentarily speechless at the sight which he beheld. The princess was at the window looking out at the town. Her silky hair was draped across her back, and in the sunlight it gave off a faint glow. When coupled together with her drop-dead face, Tsukune felt like he was looking at an angel. Then, Corma cleared his throat and Moka moved away from the window and towards her new guests. Her mouth took on a smirk when she saw Tsukune.

"Ah, Tsukune!" she greeted. "How do you like the castle?" Tsukune cleared his throat.

"Um, well Princess-"

"Enough with the Princess crap Tsukune." Moka interrupted. "From now on, just call me Moka. Okay?"

Tsukune was taken aback. "Th-thank you for the honor, Prin- Moka."

"Excuze my interruption, your highness," Corma said, alarmed. "But that is highly irregular! He is a mere commoner!" Moka glared at Corma.

"Corma, do not ever speak of Tsukune that way again, do you understand me? He is living in the castle now, and that makes him far undeserving of such an insult. Do you understand?" Corma, with barely-contained anger, nodded yes. "Good. Did you follow my orders?"

"To a tee, your highness."

"Thank you, Corma. You are free to leave now." Moka said in a tone of voice theat indicated that it wasn`t a suggestion while waving her hand. Corma bowed deeply, then turned and walked away. Not, however, before shooting Tsukune what was clearly a warning look. Tsukune gulped.

"Now, Tsukune." Moka's voice rang through Tsukune's ears. "Corma didn't show you your room, did he?"

"No, he didn't." Tsukune said curiously. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he did. It was quite odd. After all, where was he supposed to sleep, the floor?

"Well, that's because I don't want him to know where you are; I don't think he likes you for some reason."

Tsukune somehow resisted the urge to say_ do you think so?_

"Follow me." Moka said curtly, strolling out of the room. Tsukune made sure that he had his backpack, then followed her out of the room. She turned left and walked deeper the castle. Tsukune hadn't noticed it before, but apparently Moka was still wearing her nightgown, which left even less to the imagination than her dress from yesterday, because it showed off her well-toned legs. Tsukune was finding it very uncomfortable walking behind his new employer. Thankfully, the trip was short, and Moka turned around to face him when she stopped. She gestured to the door they stopped in front of. "This is your new room." Tsukune looked at the door. It was just an ordinary door, like hers; for some reason, this made him happy. "Go ahead," Moka encouraged. "Open it." She sounded quite eager, so Tsukune grabbed the handle and opened the door. He stepped inside and looked around. It was a pretty standard room; wardrobe, bed, a mirror. The material on the bed was nothing special, ordinary cotton. There was a window to the opposite side of the room as the bed, which lay in the center of the left wall. Moka cleared her throat. "It's nothing special, but I hope you like it." Tsukune turned around an made eye contact with Moka. She noticed his eyes were shining.

"This is far better than I could have ever dreamed of having, Moka. Thank you." Tsukune's voice was brimming with thankfulness, and he only proved further that he was telling the truth when he bowed deeply to his accomplice in the hallway. Moka blushed at the show of gratitude.

"Well, Tsukune," She said when he had stood back up. "Did Corma tell you your schedule?"

"Yes he did, Moka." He was supposed to wait for Corma to wake her up at 7:00 outside her door. Then, all he did was whatever the nobles wanted him to do for about nine hours. After that, he had two hours of free time. Finally, he was supposed to run the princesses` bathwater and get her bed ready at 9:00. He would then go to bed and repeat. His would get a day off every two weeks to spend with his family, but besides that, his schedule would never change.

And he was fine with that, for some reason.

"Alright then. Tsukune, you have the rest of the day off to get your things in order, but you start work tommorow. Understood?"

"Yes Moka."

"Then good day." She turned and started down the hall again, but not before she heard Tsukune call out "Good day to you too, Moka!"

XXXXXXXXX

Five days later, Tsukune was pretty used to the schedule. He had gotten up at 7:00 back at his house, so that was not a big change for him. His meals were delivered to his room (Koko absolutely refused to eat with any servants), and so far he had done a pretty good job of avoiding the hateful glare of Corma and taking the place of Koko's practice dummy. Most of the work he did was for Moka and Ruby, which he didn't mind one bit. Today, though, Tsukune could feel that something was amiss when he woke up. After greeting Moka and making his way towards the main hall (which Tsukune had learned was the name of the room with the fabulous rug) his suspicions were confirmed when he saw other servants moving to and fro; much more activity than was normal he was sure. He managed to get the attention of a servant whose name he learned was Chumio, a young man who worked in the kitchen.

"Chumio, what's going on?" Chumio looked surprised.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Princess Kurumu is visiting tomorrow."

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As I am guessing you figured out, Kurumu is appearing next chapter. Hope ypu enjoyed this chapter! R&R please!


	7. Silver and blue don't mix

**CHAPTER 7**

**SILVER AND BLUE DON'T MIX**

"Tsukune! Come here!" Moka called out to the boy. He had just finished cleaning the stables (at Koko's request; go figure). He approached, but then hesitated. Moka looked at him with a confused face. "Tsukune, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Moka. It's just that… well… I smell horrible from the stables." Moka waved her hand, as if waving away Tsukune's words.

"Nonsense! Now, come here!" Tsukune shrugged and finished walking towards Moka.

"Yes, what do you need Moka?"

"As I'm sure that you are aware of by this point, Princess Kurumu is coming tomorrow." Tsukune nodded. Princess Kurumu was the princess of a neighboring kingdom that the Akashiya's were on good terms with. As a sigh of goodwill, they had introduced the daughters to each other at a young age. It had the opposite effect; instead of becoming friends, they had become instant rivals. However, to keep up appearances, they acted like friends in front of their parents. But, the servants had told some people about the real nature of their relationship, and then the whole town found out. "Well, then, I'm sure that you know of her… um…_ favoritism _of men." Tsukune sighed. Indeed, he did. It was hard to imagine any male who didn't know of her and her rather large assets. "The last time she came over, she tried to woo some of the servants. I don't want you falling under her spell, so tomorrow you are to stay by my side at all times. Tsukune's eyes sprang open with panic. Moka, sensing his unease, raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with that Tsukune?"

"No! No! Not at all! Nothing at all!" Tsukune scrambled for the words. Moka still seemed suspicious, but she let it slide.

"Okay, then. Go take a bath, the get me my lunch from the kitchen."

"Yes, Moka." Tsukune bowed then turned away. However, one thing was still pestering him: _What's Corma going to do to me?_

**THE NEXT DAY…**

Tsukune opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in distress. He got up and went through his normal routine, all the while worried about what Corma was going to do to him. He went and stood outside of Moka's room, just like always. A few seconds later, Moka opened the door and walked out followed by the same person who was making Tsukune scared out of his wits. All of a sudden, Moka stopped dead in her tracks and pivoted chuckling when Corma almost walked into her. Corma took a step back so that he was parallel with Tsukune. "Alright Corma. Until Kurumu leaves, I want you to take over as Koko's personal servant while Tsukune will take your place as mine. And before you say anything, this decision is final. No objections!" Tsukune snuck a glance at Corma and instantly wished that he hadn't. He was biting his lip, his fists were white because of how hard he was clenching them, and his eyes were screaming bloody murder. He quickly averted his eyes and noticed that Moka was walking down the hallway. He quickly dashed after her before Corma could hurt him. She stopped once she reached the main hall, and Tsukune did the same. They stood there for a few minutes, and just when Tsukune was wondering what was going on, the door opened and a young man stepped in. He was well built and lean, and his outfit only augmented these facts. His shirt was skin-tight, and Tsukune could see right through the thin white material. His pants were no better, but had the benefit of not being see-through. It was dark blue, and at the thigh it was green. Tsukune snuck a peek at Moka to see her reaction, and was surprisingly relived when he saw he looking rather bored. The man cleared his throat.

"Now entering: the great Princess Kurumu!" He exclaimed. He then stepped back and gestured towards the door, which then opened. In entered a teenage girl with blue hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her busty chest was barely held inside of a poofy white gown. Moka made a motion with her hand, and some the servants started clap. Kurumu ignored them and zoned right onto Moka. She stormed over and stopped in front of the silver-haired princess.

"Well, Moka, we meet again!" Kurumu exclaimed. Moka rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, you busty cow?"

"To be away from here! Unfortunately, I have to be here due to our parents crazy idea that we are friends."

"I don't like it anymore than you do, stupid pig." But Kurumu wasn't insulted in the least. Mostly because she didn't hear it; her attention was focused elsewhere.

"Ohhhh! Who is this cutie?" she cooed, looking at Tsukune. He blushed and looked away, not wanting to be drawn in by her charm. Moka's nose flared at the coming onto of her servant. She quickly stepped protectively in front of Tsukune, blocking off further flirtations attempts.

"This is my new personal servant, Tsukune. And you are to stay away from him, understand?" Moka said angrily. Kurumu looked at her rival slyly.

"New personal servant? What happened to that other cutie Corma?"

"He's on vacation!"

"I'm certain that he is."

"Is there a point to all of this questioning, Kurumu?"

"No, there isn't…YET!" Kurumu said menacingly. She indicated the conversation was over when she turned and called out to the young man who had come in originally. "Adam, come on; we are going to my normal room!"

"Yes, Princess!" He said as he followed her up the stairs. Moka's eyes followed them with disgust. She then pivoted to Tsukune.

"Do you see what I mean about her? She is a shameless flirt who has no dignity! Stay away from her! Understand?" Tsukune quickly nodded. "Good! Now come on; it's breakfast time." She left the room, Tsukune hot on her heels.

**KURUMU'S UPSTAIRS BEDROOM…**

"Will that be all, Princess Kurumu?" Adam asked as the last of her things were brought up.

"Yes, Adam, that's enough." Kurumu tiredly replied. Adam bowed and left the room, and Kurumu flopped down on the bed. She just couldn't get the face of Moka's new servant out of her mind! Especially his reaction to her: normally men couldn't take their eyes of her and her chest. But him… he looked away! There was something else about him that she just couldn't place. Maybe it was the way that her rival acted when she noticed him. It was almost like they were… Kurumu's eyes widened with revelation, and she quickly sat up, a smirk on her face. Maybe this visit wasn't going to be as boring as she thought it would be.

**IN THE DINING HALL…**

Koko was glaring at Tsukune, who was occupying the chair opposite to her, eating breakfast. Tsukune was squirming under her scrutinizing gaze, but there was nothing that he could do: he was eating there under Moka's orders. "Is there a problem, Koko?" Moka asked, looking up from the bacon and eggs that the chef had prepared for them.

"Why is he eating with us?" She snapped, her eyes never once leaving the servants'. "You know how I feel about eating with lesser people."

"And you also know that my authority outranks yours, Koko, so if I were you I would watch what I was saying." Moka said coolly. Somehow, that made it creepier. Accepting defeat, Koko picked up her fork (nearly breaking it in the process) and slowly started eating, still staring at Tsukune, who was inwardly praying that Moka would be able to stop her if she decided to kill him then and there. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The proverbial knife, in this case, was the dining hall door opening and a head of blue hair walking in.

"Breakfast time!" Kurumu sang out as she sat next down next to Tsukune. She winked at him, then turned towards Moka. "Moka, before I eat, could I talk to you in private?" Kurumu asked innocently. Moka narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but, seeing no harm, agreed. They both got up and exited the room, stopping just outside of the door.

"What do you want Kurumu?" Moka asked impatiently. "Unlike you, I'm very busy."

"Oh, nothing I just wanted to ask you something…"

"What?"

"What's going on between you and that new servant of yours?"


	8. Revelation

Yayz! My computer is fixed! I'm so happy that I now give you chapter 8!

**CHAPTER 8**

**REVELATION**

"Um, excuse me?" Moka asked. She was absolutely stunned at the bluntness her rival was using.

"You heard me. What's going on between you and the new servant?" Kurumu reiterated, arms crossed under her chest due to the lack of space on it. She was smirking, thinking that she finally had some dirt on her sworn rival. However her hopes were dashed when Moka responded.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Moka said firmly. Kurumu frowned.

"Lies!"

"No, it's the truth." Moka said. Kurumu's scowl deepened but she was too hungry to pursue the issue further. So after overdramatically shouting out `this isn't over!' she stormed into the dining hall, letting the door slam behind her. Moka just stood there, her mind in a jumble. Despite the act that she had put on in front of Kurumu, the question she was asked had sent her mind into turmoil. Deciding that she had lost her appetite, Moka set off for a walk around the castle to set her mind straight.

_How _DO _I feel about Tsukune? _Moka thought to herself as she strolled along. _Why did offer him the job of being my servant? It was more than the fact that they needed the help…_ Moka internally argued. _And __why__ did I feel so jealous when Kurumu started to flirt with him? It didn't bother me when she did it with Corma…_ Moka stopped walking and looked around. She was surprised to find herself in front of Ruby's room. Moka realized that if anybody could help her with her current predicament, it was Ruby, so she knocked on the door and, after the telltale command, entered the room. She spotted Ruby eating breakfast on her bed.

"Oh! Why, hello Princess! Would you like some of my homemade breakfast?" Ruby asked, holding out the plate. On it was a strange, greenish concoction of rice, meat, and what looked and smelled like raw eggs. Moka shook her head and Ruby shrugged. "Oh well." She said as she set the plate down and got off of the bed while dusting herself off. "What can I do for you Princess?" Moka remained silent, unsure of how to breech the issue. It was confusing enough thinking about it herself, much less talking about it. But, Ruby had been in the castle with her for as long as she could remember; If she could trust anyone, it was Ruby. Still, she checked to make sure that the door was closed before proceeding.

"Ruby, could you, um… show me what Tsukune is doing?" She asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Ruby looked confused.

"Tsukune? You mean the cute new servant?" Moka's head snapped up.

"You think that he's cute?"

"Oh, most defiantly! Why?" Ruby looked at Moka. "Princess? Are you alright? You're shaking!"

Indeed she was, but Moka didn't realize it nor did she hear Ruby. She was too busy thinking to herself _Oh no! Ruby likes him now? What am I going to do? _Her line of thought was cut off when a sound tore through her ears like scissors through paper. She came to her senses and saw that the sound was Ruby's rip-roaring laughter, which she was emitting while holding her stomach and clutching the nearby chair for balance. Moka was insulted.

"What? What is so funny?" she demanded. Ruby managed to calm herself down and straighten up, with only a few chuckles escaping her lips.

"Remember Princess, I can use my magic to read minds." She said with a sly smile gracing her lips. She let that hang in the air for a few seconds, and then Moka finally caught on, her face turning as red as a tomato. Ruby couldn't help it; she started cracking up again. Moka crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited red-faced for her friend to stop laughing. When she finally did, Moka cleared her throat.

"So, Ruby, what do you think of my…er… thoughts?" She asked as regally as possible.

"Well," Ruby started. "They are certainly interesting. With all due respect, I didn't think that you had it in you to love, Princess." Moka was flabbergasted.

"Love? What do you mean I'm in love?"

"…Oh, I get it. You're in denial!"

"Now listen here, Ruby. I am NOT-"

"Moka, there you are!" Moka froze for a second, then turned around and saw the very person who was inadvertently causing her trouble. "Oh, hello Ruby." Tsukune said, waving to the royal witch, who returned the gesture with a smile. Tsukune turned back to Moka. "Moka, we were worried about you! Where have you been?"

"Tsukune, did you look for me?"

"Well, of course! What else would I do?" Tsukune asked, confused. Moka could feel herself blush at the show of affection, but did her best to cover it up.

"Never mind that. Come Tsukune, there is business we need to attend to. Wait at the end of the hallway; I will be there in a second." Tsukune bowed and disappeared. Moka turned around. "Goodbye Ruby." She said with a voice of finality.

"Goodbye Princess!" Ruby said with a sly wink. Moka turned and left the room, pretending not to notice. She went to the end of the hallway and saw Tsukune waiting dutifully. She faced him.

"Tsukune, we are going to the training room. Understood?" Tsukune nodded. "Good. Follow me!" She ordered, walking off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was not unusual for Moka to be in the training room; her and Koko were constantly trying to one-up each other and she couldn't afford to get sloppy. Today, however was different. Unlike normal, Moka was just hammering away at the practice dummies without any form or finesse, just brute strength. Every once in a while, she would ask Tsukune to fetch something for her ("Tsukune! Water!" "Yes Moka!"), but other than that she was silent and he stood in a corner in awe. There was a reason for Moka's brutality of the dummies: despite her best efforts, she couldn't ignore Tsukune in the corner or Ruby's words reverberating throughout her head.

_I didn't think that you had it in you to love, Princess._

_I am not in love with Tsukune! I am not in love with Tsukune! _The words were repeated in her head with each vicious strike. But she knew that it wasn't true. What other answer to her questions could there be? Why else would her heart flutter every time that he was near? Why else did she feel giddy inside when he talked to her? _Accept it! _She mentally screamed. _No! _She internally argued.

_Accept it!_

_No!_

_Accept it!_

_NO!_

_ACCEPT IT!_

_I'M IN LOVE WITH TSUKUNE!_ She finally admitted. She started throwing her punches harder. _I'M IN LOVE WITH TSUKUNE! _Harder…_ I'M IN LOVE WITH TSUKUNE! _Harder… _I'M IN LOVE WITH TSUKUNE! _

BOOM! The practice dummy was punched in half and was sent flying by the force of Moka's final attack. She stood there, panting and sweating in the light of her new revelation, while Tsukune watched with worry, oblivious.

"Moka, are you alright?" Moka turned and looked at Tsukune, seeing him in what seemed like a new light. She allowed herself a small smile that Tsukune didn't see.

"Yes Tsukune, I'm fine."

"Would you like me to get you another practice dummy?" Moka shook her head.

"No, that's fine. Just a towel to dry off with, please." Tsukune dashed out of the room to retrieve a towel, and Moka watched him go. When she was sure that he had left the room, she allowed her smile to grow…and grow… and grow… until it finally turned into the stupid kind of grin that only people that are in love wear. But the smile quickly vanished as Moka realized that she had a new problem:

What would she do with her new-found feelings?

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Boom! Moka has finally come to terms with her heart! But what troubles await her in the future? Also, if you think that the story is moving too fast, I say that yes, it is, but that's because this story won't end with them getting together, but will also show how they manage in a world that doesn't understand why. So, yeah. Hope you enjoyed! R&R plz!


	9. A conversation between men

**CHAPTER 9**

**A CONVERSATION BETWEEN MEN**

Tsukune returned a few minutes' later, towel and bottle of water in hand. Moka accepted both and dried her face with the white piece of cloth and downed the water in one gulp. She wiped her mouth and stared at Tsukune with a look that was unfamiliar to him. However, she shook her head and looked away, so Tsukune didn't have enough time to look at her face to determine what it was. "Tsukune, what time is it?" She asked, not making eye contact. Confused but still loyal, Tsukune looked at the watch that all servants received.

"It's approximately 12 o'clock Moka." Moka hmphed.

"Time for lunch... Let's go, Tsukune." Moka said as she strolled out of the room. Tsukune quickly followed behind. When they got to the dining hall, however, they were surprised to see Koko standing firm guard outside of the door and Corma standing dutifully to her right. Moka, sensing trouble, went on her guard. "What do you want Koko?" She snarled.

"He is not eating with us." Koko said, obviously meaning Tsukune. Moka's temper flared up, and it took all of her willpower to not leap forward and initiate a fight then and there.

"And why is that?" Moka managed to force out in between mashed together teeth.

"I was lenient enough when I let him eat with us earlier, but I won't be so nice again! Him and Corma are going to be eating outside of the dining hall!" Koko said with a voice of finality. Moka's eyes flashed and she tensed her muscles to jump forward and attack. She would have, too, If Tsukune hadn't decided to step in front of her and make her stop.

"It's okay, Moka; I'll just eat in my room like I normally do. You don't have to defend me." Tsukune said with a smile. He didn't want to see to sister's fight over him. Moka felt her anger deflate, and she stood up.

"Fine." Moka said after a short silence. "Tsukune, you and Corma will eat in your respective rooms. We will come and get you when we are finished eating. You will both wait outside of the door to the Dining hall and your food will be brought to you. Understood?" Tsukune and Corma both bowed. Satisfied that she had been heard, Moka once again directed her glare at her sister. "We will discuss what just happened over lunch, Koko." Koko's smug smile at getting what she wanted quickly dropped, and she darted through the doors to the table. Moka followed her, nodding goodbye to Tsukune and Corma. She closed the door behind her and Tsukune and Corma were left to stand alone in an awkward silence. After about a minute, Corma broke the silence.

"So, how has your day been?" He asked without looking at Tsukune. An innocent enough question, but coming from Corma, Tsukune knew that he had to watch what he said. He decided to go with the most generic answer that he could think of.

"It's been okay." Tsukune said in as nonchalant a voice that he could muster.

"That's funny, considering you know that you are going to die." Corma said in a cool voice. He might as well have been talking about the weather. Tsukune's head whipped towards Corma so fast he almost suffered whiplash. Corma was looking straight ahead, giving off the impression that he was rather bored.

"Um, what?" Tsukune asked in a voice more shocked than frightened. After all, maybe he hadn't heard correctly. Maybe Corma had said… said it was a lie. Yeah, that's what he said; he didn't threaten to kill anyo-

"I said that I'm going to kill you."

Darn.

"Um… why is that Corma?" Tsukune asked, trying to keep his voice under control and failing miserably, all the while hoping that the chefs would hurry up and bring out their food so that he could run back to his room and pretend that this conversation never happened.

"I told you to stay away from my Princess Moka, and you didn't. So, I'm going to kill you." Corma said in the same uncaring voice as before. Before Tsukune could respond, however, Chumio came out with their lunches. He handed over their meals, bowed and left. Corma turned to Tsukune. "Enjoy the meal!" He said with a smile. He walked towards his room, leaving Tsukune quite shaken up. It was a few minutes later that he was finally able to move and go to his room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Unnoticed at the top of the stairs, Princess Kurumu was left to ponder what she had just seen.

XXXXXXXXXX

A short chapter, I know, but it set the ball moving. Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Exposed

**CHAPTER 10**

**EXPOSED**

Kurumu couldn't believe what she had just seen. How could someone like Corma threaten to kill someone so nonchalantly? _I have to act like nothing is wrong!_ She thought to herself. _Act natural, act natural…_ She kept chanting to herself as she slowly made her way down the stairs, not realizing that she was shaking. She opened the door to the dining hall and made her way inside and sat down, completely ignoring the odd stares of her hosts. As always with her rival, Moka broke the silence.

"Whats with the weird attitude, Kurumu?" She asked. "Did a boy turn you down?" She was surprised when Kurumu kept ignoring her and eating her food; normally insulting her with boys blew her up. A few minutes later, the awkwardness was still very apparent, and Moka couldn't take it anymore. "Kurumu, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? What's wrong? Nothing's wrong! Absolutely nothing! Everything's fine! What could be wrong? Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Kurumu answered in a face that indicated that she was obviously freaked out. She started shoveling food in her mouth, and Moka stared at the blue-haired princess in a confused way. Koko rose suddenly and slammed her hands onto the table.

"This is too weird for me." She announced as if anyone cared. "I'm leaving." She stormed out of the room. Moka quickly forgot about about it and turned to the more important matter at hand.

"Seriously Kurumu. What's wrong?" Moka asked. Kurumu stopped acting crazy and scowled at Moka.

"What do you care?" Moka hesitated, not sure if she should go on. Then, she decided to go on.

"Well, just because we're rivals doesn't mean we aren't friends." Moka said, not making eye contact. Kurumu stared at her rival in awe. After a few moments of awkward silence, Kurumu spoke up.

"Well, I just saw something kind of disturbing…"

"What?"

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Moka was staring at Kurumu. She had just finished telling Moka what happened between Corma and Tsukune, and Moka was taken completely off guard. She shook her head, not willing to believe it.

"Are you sure? It just doesn't sound like Corma!" Moka said.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you: Corma said that he was going to kill Tsukune!" Kurumu exclaimed. "What are we going to do?" Moka brought her hand to her forehead in worry; what WAS she going to do? She…loved Tsukune (she still had a hard time thinking about it) and didn't want him to get hurt, but Corma was her…

Wait…

What was Corma to Moka? He was her servant, sure, but was he something more? Moka reclined in her chair while rubbing her forehead; she needed to think about this.

…

…

…No.

No, he wasn't. Moka was sure of it. Sure he was her closest servant, but that didn't mean that he was her closest friend. He was a friend though, she couldn't deny that. She didn't really see him as anything else. He was her friend, but so was Tsukune. What was she supposed to do? The only thing that she could think of was to fire Corma, but she couldn't do that. Suddenly, she came up with an idea. She stood up, a confident smile on her face. Kurumu looked at her with a quizzical face.

"Follow me!" Moka answered the unasked question as she strolled out of the room while Kurumu followed suit. Moka quickly ended up in front of Tsukune's room. She knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tsukune called out. Moka wasted no time in complying. Tsukune was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his lunch in his lap and an open book in front of him, and he was quite surprised when the two Princesses came into his room.

"Wha-"

"Tsukune!" Moka called out, pointing at him Phoenix-Wright style. "You are now my permanent personal servant, effective immediately!" Moka then pivoted and walked out of the room, head held high. Tsukune was left to stare at the spot that the princess had been in only moments before while Kurumu did the same. Moka walked down the hallway and out into the main hall, where she saw the very person that she was looking for standing in front of the doors to the dining hall. He called out when he saw her.

"Hello, Princess!" Corma called out. Moka narrowed her eyes and stopped in her tracks, former jubilance gone. This was the second part of her plan, but she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. But then Moka saw Kurumu and Tsukune enter the Main hall out of the corner of her eye, and at the sight of the boy who had stolen her heart, found her resolve.

"I know." Moka said through gritted teeth. Corma didn't need to ask what she knew; her look said it all.

"How?" was all he asked. Kurumu was suddenly fearful; what if Moka betrayed her?

"I have my ways." Moka answered. Kurumu let out the breath that she didn't know that she had been holding. "Why did you threaten to kill Tsukune?"

"That is no concern of yours, Princess."

"Yes it is!" Moka snapped. "I am going to keep Tsukune safe, no matter what!" Moka shouted out without thinking. When she realized what she said, she blushed furiously and tried not to let it show. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tsukune sporting a blush as deep as hers was, and she could see Kurumu giggling a little despite the tension. She saw Corma's eyes flare and his body shudder with anger.

_What in the world?_ Kurumu and Tsukune thought as they were buffeted with a powerful aura. It seemed to be emating from Corma, and even though his eyes were covered by his hair due to the tilt of his head, it was obvious that his lips were pulled back in a devious smirk, revealing his teeth.

His pointed teeth that looked an awful lot like fangs.

He lifted his head and exposed his now blood-red eyes.

His aura increased even more, rivaling Moka's even as she prepared for a fight.

_No ._Tsukune thought as he finally realized the truth. _He can't be a…_

"Vampire?"

"So he finally catches on!" Corma exclaimed, raising his arms in mock salute. Moka got into a fighting stance.

"Stay away from Tsukune, Corma!"

"Make me!" Corma shouted, doing the same.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I feel as if this chapter wasn't as good as it could have been and that it didn't make much sense… Meh. Oh well. Next time: Moka vs. Corma!


	11. Moka vs Corma

For the record: I have never written a battle scene before, so please forgive any crappiness.

**CHAPTER 11**

**MOKA vs. CORMA**

Moka was apprehensive. She was confident that she could take Corma, but he was a vampire too; he could have some tricks up his sleeve. Moka tensed up, ready to leap forward, but was stopped when Tsukune stepped in front of her. "Tsukune! What are you doing?"

"Corma, why are you doing this?" Tsukune asked frantically, trying to avoid any fighting. Corma's eyes narrowed.

"Don't act stupid! You know why!" Corma shouted out.

"No! I honestly don't!" Tsukune shouted in reply.

"You're ruining everything! I've been working for years to get this far!" Corma said. His temper was slowly rising, and he was about to reach a breaking point.

"B-but I thought you said you loved Moka! Why would you want to fight her?" Moka was taken aback; Corma loved her? Since when? Was all this just jealousy? But then Corma laughed a laugh without humor.

"Love? Who said anything about love? I said that she was mine!" Corma said. "I need her to get the kingdom! I don't give a damn if she likes me or not, I'm going to make Moka my bride and the Stomocula family will finally get the recognition they deserve!" Kurumu and Moka gasped.

"Stomocula!" They cried out. Tsukune was confused.

"Who are the Stomocula?" He asked.

"The Stomocula family is a long-time rival of the Akashiyas. They've been fighting for years, but the Akashiyas have always managed to come out on top. This must be their latest plan to get control of the Akashiyas." Kurume explained, Moka being to shocked to do so.

"That's right! And you, Tsukune, ruined it!" Corma roared. Moka saw what was going to happen a split-second before it did.

"Tsukune, move!" She cried, but it was too late. Corma surged forward and stabbed Tsukune in the stomach with his hand. Moka snapped out of her surprised stupor and dashed forward to catch Tsukune before he hit the floor.

"Tsukune!" She shouted. No response. "Tsukune!" She shouted again. Still no response. She put her ear to his. Chest, and relaxed slightly when she heard a heartbeat. _He's just unconscious. _ She thought. _Thank God._ She picked up Tsukune and walked over to Kurumu, to whom she handed him too. "Bring him to the medical room, and then get Koko. Tell her what happened." Kurumu nodded and then dashed to follow the orders. Moka and Corma were left alone. Moka turned to face Corma.

"Well, now that's he's out of the way, we can go through with this!" Corma said.

"Corma." Moka said coolly, despite the rage that she felt inside. "I am going to kill you for hurting Tsukune."

"Ohhh!" Corma mocked. "Lets see you try!" Moka complied by dashing forward and delivering a straight punch to Corma's stomach. He was thrown backwards, but managed to recover before he hit the wall. He landed on his feet, but Moka didn't let up her assault. She leapt towards him and prepared to kick him in the face, but Corma stepped to the side and dodged it. Moka tried to follow him with a punch, but Corma caught it and twisted his body, throwing Moka back the way that she came. She crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. She got up and leaped out of the way of Corma's kick. She tried to take advantage of the opening, but Corma shot out his other leg and kicked Moka before she could connect. He followed it with an uppercut. Moka skidded across the floor. She got up and wiped the blood from her mouth.

_How is he beating me? _She thought. _I'm stronger than him!_ Corma smirked again.

"Judging from that look, I'd say that you're wondering how I'm beating you." Corma said, once again in that snobby voice. Moka's silence confirmed that, yes, she was. "Think about it Moka. You've known that I was a vampire since day one; you knew that I would be able to take your hits. You've been using me as a practice dummy for years. I've memorized your fighting style. You can't beat me."

Moka realized that he was right. But, she couldn't give up: he hurt Tsukune! He had to pay! Suddenly, a red blur zoomed forward and made contact with Corma, sending him crashing into the stairs. The blur made its way over to Moka and stopped, revealing itself to be Koko.

"How DARE you attack my sister." Koko said, clearly furious. Corma stood up, his smirk replaced by a frown. The only reason that he was winning against the stronger vampire Moka was because he knew her fighting style inside and out. He didn't know Koko's fighting style, and he didn't stand a chance against two vampires, both of them stronger than him. He knew when it was time to retreat. He called out a rather cliché line.

"This isn't over!" he said as he leaped from the stairs out of the window. Koko was about to follow him, but she saw Moka dash towards the medical room and, against her better judgment, decided to follow her instead. Moka reached the medical room and all but kicked down the door.

"How is he?" She cried out in borderline panic. Kurumu ran over to the princess.

"Moka, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! How is he?" Moka cried.

"He's fine! He's fine! Just calm down!" Kurumu said. Moka looked past her and saw Tsukune lying on the bed with some wires sticking out of him. She moved past Kurumu and went to stand by Tsukune's bedside. One of the doctors spoke up.

"He wasn't hurt too badly, but he lost a lot of blood. He'll have to rest for a while, but don't worry; he'll make it."

Moka physically relaxed at the doctors words. She looked around, and, spotting a chair by Tsukune's bed, plopped down her tired body and resolved not to leave that room until Tsukune woke up.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hope that you all enjoyed!

PS: Next chapter is a pretty big one, so keep an eye out for it!


	12. By the hospital bed

**CHAPTER 12**

**BY THE HOSPITAL BED**

Four hours later, Moka was still sitting in the chair. She had been approached by several people (mostly doctors) who tried to get her to move and receive treatment for her minor wounds, but she refused. Eventually, they had stopped asking and had left her alone. It was now nighttime, and Kurumu had come in to try to convince her to leave one last time.

"I said no, Kurumu. How many times am I going to have to say it?" The conversation had been going on for about twenty minutes, and neither person had been getting anywhere.

"Moka, why not? He'll still be here in the morning when we all wake up!"

"Be that as it may, I'm staying. He got hurt because he was protecting me; the least that I can do is make sure that he recovers." Kurumu threw up her hands, exasperated.

"Fine! Do what you want, Moka! I'll be in my room, sleeping!" She exclaimed, turning and strutting out of the room. Moka watched her go, then returned to staring at Tsukune. She wasn't going to move, not until he woke up. Suddenly, she was hit with a wave of exhaustion as the day's events caught up with her. She fought it for a few seconds, but then decided to give in.

_It'll only be for a minute or two. _She thought to herself. _Only…for a…second…_

"ZZZZZZ…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune groaned as he woke up from a deep sleep. He blinked twice, trying to recognize his surroundings, and then relaxed when he realized that he was in the medical room. He looked down at the wound that Corma had given him. It was wrapped up in bandages, some of which were a tad bloody, and he was pretty sure that he had more than a few IV's in his arm, but other than that he was all right. He looked his left and saw Moka asleep, snoring softly. _She looks so peaceful. _Tsukune thought. He had always thought that she was rather beautiful, but she was even more so when she wasn't going around barking orders at people. He continued staring at her as he let the unfamiliar feeling he got whenever he saw the princess. He knew that it was love the moment that it hit him, but rather than have been happy, he was instead scared. Who was he, a lowly commoner and servant, to fall in love with a princess? He would surely get in trouble for his supposed "crime"; he may even get punished. But in time, he found that he didn't care. He was in love with Princess Moka. It may have been a crime, but he was the kind of person who was true to his heart.

And his heart said that he loved the woman that he was staring at.

A woman who, apparently, had just woken up.

Well. Crap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moka was awakened by the unmistakable feeling that she was being stared at. She opened her eyes and was instantly met with Tsukune's unmistakable eyes boring into hers. She was not, however, creeped out by this fact.

"Tsukune?" She asked, disbelieving.

"Um… hi, Moka. How are you?" Tsukune asked. The question, obviously meant to comfort, had the opposite effect on Moka: she instead started to tear up. Tsukune instantly tried to sit up and calm her down, but instead grunted in pain and was forced to lie down again. Moka, seeing this, forced the tears out of her eyes.

"Baka. I should be asking you that question." Moka said. Tsukune smiled.

"I'm glad to see that you are all right, Moka." He said. Moka could feel herself about to tear up again, but she forced the tears back.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like I got hit by a bus." Tsukune replied. Moka instantly felt worse than before. She knew that she had to say something to let Tsukune know that what he did meant something to her. So, she swallowed her pride and said

"Thank you."

Tsukune was taken aback. "What?" He asked. Surely he must have heard wrong. The powerful princess Moka saying thank you? He couldn't believe it.

"I said that thank you Tsukune. You got hurt because of me." She said quietly.

"It was my pleasure Moka." Tsukune said, still in awe.

Moka looked at Tsukune, lying there in the hospital bed with a hole in his stomach because of her. But, the strange thing was, he didn't seem angry at all. He seemed happy that she was there, actually. It was the strangest thing; if their roles were reversed, she would have been furious at that fact, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Um, Moka…" Tsukune interrupted her reverie.

"Yes, what is it Tsukune?" He seemed uncomfortable and nervous, as displayed by his fidgeting and his heart rate going up slightly on the heart monitor.

"What was Corma to you?" Moka was confused by the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he said that he wanted to marry you and I was just wondering if, you know… that was something that you had considered doing with him." Moka stared at Tsukune and blinked once. Twice. Was he asking what she thought he was asking?

"No, not at all. He was just a…friend, I guess. There was nothing going on between us. The only reason that he wanted to marry me was so that his family would get control over my family." Tsukune seemed to visibly relax at her answer. Moka felt an inkling of hope rise up. Why did he care what she thought about Corma? "Why do you care?"

"Um…well…you know…" Tsukune increased his fidgeting and his heart rate increased. That, in conjunction with the healthy blush that he was sporting was only making Moka's hopes rise.

_It's now or never. _She decided.

"Tsukune, I asked you a question. What is your answer?" She asked again, leaning forward slightly. Tsukune's eyes started shifting, and he started stuttering again.

"Er… Well… You know…" He said, again not giving a clear answer. Moka leaned ever closer.

"Falling in love with the princess is considered a crime, you know." There. She had put it out in the open. Now all that was left was his reaction.

"N-no! That's not it! I just-" Tsukune's desperate searching for a different answer, any answer other than the truth, was cut off by Moka' ever face coming ever-so-closer.

"That's alright Tsukune." She said, now mere inches away. "I don't mind." And with that, she closed the distance between them, making their lips meet for the very first time. She put all she had into the kiss, hoping that Tsukune would understand it's meaning.

Because this was the very first time in her entire life that she had been so honest with someone and herself, and she was afraid of the consequences.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

At first, Tsukune was shocked. After all, what person in his position wouldn't be? He was a lowly commoner, someone of no significance whatsoever. Who was he to be kissed by Princess Moka? But, truth be told, he was ecstatic that she felt strongly enough about him to kiss him. He didn't want her to feel as if her feelings were unrequited. So, he did the thing that he had wanted to do since day one and kissed his Princess back.

XXXXXXXXX

When the need for air forced them to, they broke apart. Both were panting and wondering if what had just happened was real. Tsukune was, for obvious reasons the more skeptical of the two, so he asked the question.

"Did that really just happen?" Moka looked at him, so unsure but at the same time more sure than she had ever been.

"Yes." That was the only answer Tsukune needed.

"We should go to sleep." Moka said quickly, trying to avoid any awkward silences. For all her regal poise and gait, she was entirely new to matters of the heart, so she wanted some more time to reflect on what had just occurred. Tsukune nodded, and they both looked away from each other sporting similar blushes. Moka reclined in the chair and preparied to fall back asleep, but then she felt Tsukune's hand slither into hers and decided that she could spare a few more minutes.

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune grew even more ecstatic when Moka didn't let go if his hand. He was still in a state of shock, but it was quickly giving way to the state of euphoria and sleepiness. Tsukune clenched Moka's hand a little tighter, then shut his eyes.

XXXXXXXX

Both of them were asleep before long, more happy and content than either had been in a long time.

XXXXXXXX

Well, here it is: the part where Tsukune and Moka get together! I really hope that I didn't mess it up too badly… Anyway, check back soon for the next chapter!

By the way, to NefCanuck: I want to thank you very much for your constant review and support for this story. It really means a lot to me!


	13. Like Romeo and Juliet

**CHAPTER 13**

**LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET**

The morning sun streamed through the open window and touched upon the closed eyelids of Princess Moka, causing her to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open and she yawned. She felt something warm and firm in her hand, and when she looked, she realized that it was Tsukune's hand gripping hers; they hadn't let go all night. She would have blushed had it been in her nature, but thankfully for her it wasn't, so she simply allowed a happy half-smile as the memories of last night returned to her in all of their glory. But then her daydreaming was cut off with a very loud interruption.

"Good morning lovebirds!" Ruby shouted as she burst open the door. Moka, startled, let go of Tsukune's hand and fell flailing from her chair. She got up, doing her best to rein in her temper, and she saw Ruby closing the door behind her.

"Ruby! What the hell!" Moka said. Then, she realized what Ruby had said. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "How do you know-"

"Crystal ball." Ruby said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Wait, why were you spying on me?"

"Well, I can predict the future, so I knew what was going to happen, and I just couldn't resist and… ohhh it was so cute!" Ruby said, blushing and twirling in a circle. Moka's face turned red as she realized that Ruby had indeed seen what happened the night before.

"Ruby!" Moka snapped, causing said witch to stop twirling and focus. "I will ask you to please never spy on me again!" Moka ordered as politely as she could.

"Fine." Ruby huffed, her face in a pout. Then her eyes flickered to Moka's. "So… where does it go from here?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Moka, let's think about this: you're the princess, and you all but started dating a commoner. Personally, I have no problem with it, but how do you think that everyone else will react?"

"Who cares what Koko has to say? I'm the older sibling; I can just overrule anything that she has to say!"

"It's not just Koko that I'm talking about; other kingdoms might take this as a sign of weakness and attack; also, what would the townspeople think? They might revolt!"

Moka opened her mouth to retort with a witty comment, but closed it when none came. She realized that Ruby was right: what she and Tsukune were doing was considered immoral; some of the royal families might think that the Akashiya family was tainting the so-called royal bloodline. Also, they might take it as an insult, as in that none of them are better than an ordinary commoner.

"What are we going to do?" she quietly asked.

"Do you love him?" Ruby's voice came in loud and serious.

"Excuze me?" Moka asked, taken aback.

"Do you love him? I won't help you unless you're willing to take this all of the way."

"Y-yes." Moka said. Even though she had already established that with herself, it was still hard to say aloud. Ruby smiled.

"Well then!" Ruby said, all smiles and goofiness again. "I think that you should just keep it a secret for now; see each other in secret like Romeo and Juliet." Moka sighed and sweat dropped in exasperation.

"Ruby, _I_ could have thought of something as obvious as that."

"I never said that my help would be _useful!_" Ruby said.

Moka was about to retort when Tsukune groaned. Her attention was quickly diverted and she dashed over to the raven-haired boy's side. Ruby smiled and quietly left the room, knowing that they were going to have a tender moment.

Besides, she could always watch it on the crystal ball.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tsukune, are you okay?" Moka asked desperately.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He managed to groan out. "Moka, what are we going to do?" She didn't need to ask what he was referring to. She sighed for the second time in an hour, thinking about the conversation that her and Ruby just had.

"I don't know, Tsukune." She answered honestly. There was one thing that she did know, though: Tsukune had done enough for her. Now it was her turn to step up. "But just let me handle it, okay?" Tsukune grinned.

"Alright, Moka! You got it!" He said happily. Seeing him smile made Moka feel a little better. Only a little, though.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ugh… this is my shortest chapter yet… sorry the days waited to words typed don't really match up… I'll do better next time though, I swear!


	14. Corma's new job

**CHAPTER 14**

**CORMA'S NEW JOB**

Corma looked up at the looming structure in front of him. He had been traveling for two days, and he had finally reached the place where his family resided. The Castle was similar to that of the Akashiyas, but it had an evil aura about it that the other castle lacked. It has moss and other fungus in between the many bricks of its walls, and there were several vines curling up the sides. But Corma found the dark atmosphere rather homely, due to the fact that this was where he had gone at least once a month for 12 years on his breaks, since he had started working for the Akashiyas since he was 5. He walked up to the door, but didn't knock due to the fact that the door was moist and would have broken under his vampire strength. Instead, he simply called out "I'm home!" and the door opened. He stepped inside and was instantly at home in the dark, dank, windowless castle. Like Castle Akashiya, it was lit by several torches along the wall. He was standing in a quaint room with no decorations save for a family portrait. Corma stared at it and saw himself at the tender age of four, looking quite regal in his suit. Standing to his left with a hand resting on his shoulder was his father, quite a bit taller than him with cropped silver hair and the same blood-red eyes that every vampire shared. He was wearing a long purple cape, which only added to the air of regalness that was obvious even through a painting. Next to his father was his mother, her long hair pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. One of her fangs was protruding from her upper lip; a display of the fierceness that lay directly below her calm exterior. Corma grew tired of looking at his family (he would see them again soon enough) and directed his attention to the room that he was in. Directly in front of him was a hallway that broke off to the left that led to the rest of the castle. From the hallway emerged the very people that Corma had just been looking at in paint form. The years had been kind to them, his father looking even more powerful and muscular than he had twelve years ago. His mother had turned even more dangerously beautiful, enticing yet deadly at the same time.

"Hello Father; Mother." Corma said, giving his parents their customary greeting. His parents nodded, then looked him over. They frowned at the wounds that he had received from his fight with Moka, and they immediately knew what had happened.

"So, son. Why did you engage our rivals?" Count Stomocula said in a low, enticing voice.

"There was a… complication. A new servant came along and stole away the princess."

"Are you saying that you were usurped by a peasant?" His father asked. There was no change in his voice, but Corma knew that his father's temper was rising from experience. However, he refused to show weakness.

"Yes father." Corma said, not letting his voice betray him. He knew that he was going to get punished, and he didn't want to get a worse punishment by showing his fear. His father sighed.

"Start from the beginning and tell us what happened, Corma."

XXXXXXXXXX

Corma finished by explaining how he retreated (not ran away, retreated) when Kokoa interfered. His mother clicked her tongue, indicating that she was impressed at how he had taken over the fight.

"Looks like all of that training we've been having you do has paid off. Good job." Corma's heart swelled up with pride; he hardly ever got compliments from his parents, so he had to treasure them when he got them. His father cleared his throat, drawing Corma's attention back to the man of the castle.

"What you have told us has been immensely helpful, son. Now, this Tsukune fellow… you are sure that he is not a monster?"

"100 percent, father."

"Well then, he should be an easily solvable problem. We just need to separate him and the princess. Due to the wound that you gave him, he should be in the hospital for quite some time." Corma hesitated, then decided against his better judgment to go ahead and speak up.

"Um, father, with all due respect, I don't think that it will be that easy." Count Stomocula's eyes flashed.

"And why is that?" His tone of voice indicated that Corma needed to pick his next words carefully, but Corma swallowed his fear and spoke again.

"Well, Father, she seems to be genuinely in love with Tsukune. I don't really think that she would leave his side so easily." Corma made eye contact with his father, unwavering.

"Good point son. I'll leave the job of killing Tsukune to you then."

Corma couldn't believe his ears. His father was giving him an important job? If this was a dream, then Corma didn't want to wake up. He bowed deeply.

"I won't disappoint you father."

XXXXXXXXXX

Moka was still sitting by Tsukune's bed, watching him sleep. She heard a knock on the hospital door. "Enter." She said, not really caring who it was. The door opened and a servant walked in. Moka spared them a glance, recognizing them as Tsukune's replacement while he was bedridden. She had scoffed when she heard that (Tsukune was irreplaceable), but had gone along with it so as not to seem suspicious.

"Pardon me, Princess." The servant said meekly. "I have an important message for you."

"Well? What is it?" Moka asked, wanting to get rid of this annoyance as soon as she could.

"Um, you see Princess… Prince Gin is scheduled for another visit tomorrow. And he says that he will come no matter what." Moka's temper flared. As much as she hated that perverted smooth guy wannabe, he had one thing going for him: he was damn persistent. If he said that he was going to visit no matter what, than he would be here tomorrow no matter what. So, Moka did the first thing that came to mind:

She swore loudly into the room, already dreading seeing the horn dog's face again.


	15. I really hate this guy

Sorry for the late update! Now, about this chapter: I don't like Gin. I'm sorry, but I really hate him. I'm pretty sure that it came through here. Sorry. Besides that, I hope that you enjoy!

**CHAPTER 15:**

**I REALLY HATE THIS GUY**

THE NEXT DAY…

Moka looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. Since Gin was royalty, she had to look presentable when he was around, no matter how much she despised it. So, Moka normally dressed in her lowest-quality dress; the unfortunate thing was since her family was so rich, even her lowest quality dress was somewhat extravagant. It was an ankle-length dress of light green, with hems of blue around the seams. On her wrists she wore loose-fitting gold bracelets, and hoop earrings adorned her earlobes. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and she had even put on a touch of makeup. "You look beautiful princess." Said one of the female servants who had helped her get dressed. Moka brushed aside a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Don't I always?" she asked rhetorically. The servant quickly nodded. Moka walked over to the window and looked out, but frowned when she saw Prince Gin's horse in the distance. He should be arriving at any minute. This realization made Moka's already bad mood plummet even further. She spun around quickly, an act that startled the servant girl. Moka walked towards the room's exit, beckoning for the girl to follow. "Come on. We have to meet that idiot at the front door."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Moka stood as still as a statue as the door creaked open (_I need to get that thing oiled_ Moka thought to herself) and the bane of Moka's existence strolled into the castle as if he owned the place. His horn dog eyes automatically zeroed in on the silvered-haired princess. He dashed over.

"Well, hello there, Miss Moka!" He said, insulting her by not using her royal title. Moka refrained from pointing this out. "You look quite stunning today!"

"Thank you." Moka said as monotone as she possibly could. He hadn't even been here a full minute and already he was trying to butter her up. Unbelievable. His eyes traveled up and down her body, and looking behind him Moka could see that the servants he had decided to bring with him were all female.

"And what have we here! Why, TWO beautiful princesses to grace my sight! It must be my lucky day!" Kurumu, standing to Moka's left, inwardly groaned. She hated Prince Gin as much as Moka did, but due to her status as a princess, she was required to present herself even though she was not currently in her family's jurisdiction (Kokoa, being the younger sibling, did not need to show herself: both princesses were quite jealous of that fact). As such, she had chosen to wear a non-flattering, non-revealing top (Moka was surprised that she owned one) which was complimented nicely by the silk ankle-length bottom. Unfortunately, Kurumu had left all of her worst dresses at home, since the main thought in Kurumu's mind when she was packing was to outdo Moka. The only reason she had brought her unflattering shirt was to ward off lechers when traveling through towns. Kurumu's thoughts were snapped into the present by Gin's hands traveling to some very…_unwelcome_ places.

"As always, Princess Kurumu, no woman can match up to your fantastic assets!" The ill fated compliment was replied with a devastating right hook to Gin's face, which sent him flying. However, he just got up and shrugged it off as if nothing happened, that same damned grin still plastered to his face. "And you still have the strength of a raging bull! Glad to see some things never change!"It was all Moka and Kurumu could do to keep from strangling him. Gin returned his attention to Moka. "Princess Moka, there is a very good reason for my sudden arrival. Would you like me too tell you what it is?"

Moka decided to play along. "Sure."

"Ah-ah-ah!" Gin said, waving his finger back and forth to match the syllables of his voice. "I'm afraid that I can't tell you just yet! Meet me for dinner in an hour and all shall be revealed! Now, away!" The last sentence was directed at his servants, and he led them up the stairs to his pre-prepared room as everyone else looked on. As soon as he was out of earshot, Kurumu whirled around towards Moka.

"What the hell was that!"

"What the hell was what?"

"You just let him boss you around!"

"I hardly think that saying when dinner will be is bossing me around. I eat dinner at my leisure; if he wants to eat in an hour, that's fine by me."

"Well then what about him feeling me up? Weren't you going to do something about that?"

"I found that rather funny, actually."

"Gah!" Kurumu threw her hands up in exasperation. "Whatever! I need to go blow off some steam; is the training room in the same place?" Moka nodded. "I'll be there. I'll see you in an hour Moka." Kurumu started off, but Moka couldn't resist one last parting jive."

"If you need the beginner's equipment, ask one of the servants to fetch it for you."Moka snickered as she heard the string of curses flow from Kurumu's mouth, but she quickly blocked it out as she went upstairs to change and have enough time to check in on Tsukune before going to dinner.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I haven't even met the guy and I already hate him." Tsukune said. Moka had visited him in the infirmiry after changing, but had thrown on a bath robe over her clothes (much to Tsukune's chagrin) and had just finished telling him about Prince Gin.

"Don't worry Tsukune: that's everybody's natural reaction to him. He's just one of those people that you can't not hate." Moka assured him.

"I just hope that he doesn't try anything on you." Tsukune said. Moka scoffed at his concern.

"Oh please Tsukune. He may be a prince, but he's not nearly as powerful as I am. Heck, Kurumu could probably take him." 

"Well, just be careful please?" Tsukune begged. Moka looked at him and sighed; she couldn't say no to that face.

"Alright." There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Moka answered.

"Dinner is ready, Princess Moka." Moka turned to Tsukune.

"Good night Tsukune."

"Good night Moka."

XXXXXXXXX

Down in the dining hall, Gin pulled out a small black box from his pocket and flipped it open. Inside of it, on a small velvety pillow, was a gorgeous wedding ring that sparkled with diamonds even in the candlelight of the Dining hall.


	16. Popping the Question

An important message: I'm not really feeling this story at the present moment, so I will most likely update this story when something strikes me. I am by no means discontinuing this story, but just don't expect updates as frequently as they used to come. On a side note: Shout out to Peace Shadow: thank you very much for giving me the basis of an idea for this chapter. I might not have used your exact idea here, but I'm sure you will see the influence.

**CHAPTER 16**

**POPPING THE QUESTION**

Moka arrived downstairs a minute or two later, to the happiness of Gin. "Ah, Princess, you look stunning, as always!" He gushed. He was wearing a simple tuxedo, with an impeccable black sport coat and spotless pants. His fur-brown tie was placed at the exact center of his chest, and he was flashing a million-dollar smile. He looked great, but Moka just rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"Sit down Gin." Moka said with a sigh as she took her seat. Gin snatched the chair across from her. Ignoring him, Moka looked around the room, and then turned to a nameless servant next to her. "Where's Kurumu?" Moka asked, hoping that she wouldn't have to face this pervert alone.

"Princess Kurumu won't be joining us, your majesty. She said something along the lines of 'how does it feel now?' Sorry, your majesty." Moka sighed. So, Kurumu was paying her back for not standing up for her when Gin was her harassing her earlier this morning huh? Well fine then. She was a vampire! The strongest of all monsters! So what if Gin was royalty? Surely she could handle a simple pervert! So, Moka devoted herself to just getting through dinner with as little conversation as possible, which was actually somewhat easy since Gin normally had one-sided conversations anyway. As Moka predicted, Gin just started yammering away about everything. Moka had already tuned him out.

XXXXXXX

Ruby was in her room, spying on Gin and Moka as they eat dinner. However, she was getting somewhat bored with watching due to the fact that it was clear Moka wasn't interested in Gin's incessant gibbering. So, she decided to use the crystal ball to look into the future. She sped up time a little, and her eyes widened. She turned and dashed out of the room, frantic to help her Princess.

XXXXXXXX

_God, this guy just doesn't shut up! _Moka thought to herself as Gin continued prattling on about this and that. He had been talking for about a half-hour straight without any sort of response from Moka. It was quite amazing actually; he hadn't even stopped to take a breath. Finally, Gin stopped talking for a moment. However, before Moka had ample time to enjoy the brief moment of silence, Gin opened his mouth again.

"Moka, how long have we known each other?" Gin asked. Moka raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of conversation direction, but merely answered the question.

"About five years, unfortunately."

"Right, right." Gin responded. Though she didn't let it show on her face, Moka was surprised that Gin didn't say anything to her insult. Something was defiantly up.

"You see Moka, my father has been bothering me for quite awhile about taking over the throne." Gin started, rising from his chair with a rare solemn look on his face. For once, Moka was actually listening to him, wary of where this was going. "And to take over the throne, I need one essential thing above all others: a wife."

_Oh crap._ Moka thought. This had gone the exact direction that she didn't want it to go. By this time, Gin had gotten to Moka's side of the table. He knelt down and pulled the ring out of his pocket. He looked up at Moka. "Moka, will you marry me?"

XXXXXXX

_2 minutes earlier…_

Tsukune was sleeping softly when Ruby all but kicked down the door to the infirmary. Tsukune jolted awake as Ruby rushed to his bedside. He groggily looked at the royal witch as he rubbed his eyes.

"Buh… Ruby? Is something wrong?" Tsukune asked, sitting up. Ruby was frantic.

"Tsukune! Come quick! It's Moka!" The mention of her name instantly made Tsukune perk up.

"What's wrong with Moka? Is she hurt?" Tsukune asked desperately. To Tsukune's relief, Ruby shook her head.

"Just come on! We have to go!" Ruby started to all but drag Tsukune out of bed. Tsukune was too bewildered and confused to offer any resistance. So, Ruby helped Tsukune out of the room and down to see Moka.

XXXXXXXXX

_Present_

Tsukune gaped and Ruby shook her head morbidly as they saw Gin propose. They had snuck downstairs and had silently opened the door to spy on the duo, and had arrived just in time to see something that they thought only happened once every millennia- Moka was flustered. However much Ruby and Tsukune wanted to relish the moment, they knew that they had to help Moka-it was their job to help their princess any way possible, no matter what the situation was. So, without thinking, Tsukune lurched out of Ruby's grasp and threw open the door.

"Moka! I need to talk to you!" Tsukune exclaimed, drawing the attention of the two occupants of the room. Gin looked at Tsukune with an expression that simultaneously said 'who the hack is this guy?' and 'how dare this guy interrupt such an important moment!' while Moka looked at Tsukune with a look of shock, relief, and confusion. After a moment or two had passed in awkward silence. Tsukune realized that he had no actual plan besides 'stop that pervert from getting his hands on Moka!' After he realized that, he also realized that that world was starting to spin and he was rapidly losing consciousness. As he passed out, Tsukune was vaguely aware of both Ruby and Moka crying his name, which, for some reason, made him smile.


	17. Maybe not so bad after all

Wow. It's been a long time since I updated this. I had hit a wall with this story, and so I put it on hiatus. Awhile ago, however, I was having a conversation with toby860 and he brought up a good staple for a fantasy story. So, armed with a fresh idea, I now present the (long overdue) next chapter!

**CHAPTER 17**

**MAYBE NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL**

"What in the world were you _thinking,_ Ruby?" Moka scolded the sheepy witch. They were once more in the infirmary, where they had brought Tsukune after he had collapsed. Moka had been frantic until the doctor assured her that the collapse had been from exhaustion rather than something more serious. Now that the immediate danger had passed, however, Moka was venting her anger. "You know Tsukune was weak, and yet you still made him get up! Why?"

"I didn't think he would collapse…" Ruby said in a half-hearted attempt to defend herself. In truth, she was mentally abusing herself up as much as Moka was verbally. She hadn't really known Tsukune all that long, but she had grown rather fond of him, and she was just as upset as Moka was that she was responsible for him getting hurt. Ruby waited until Moka took a breath from her disciplining before speaking up again. "Look, Moka, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt Tsukune-really. I was just worried about you, and I thought since you and Tsukune have this _thing_ going on, he would want to know as well. "

Ruby's apology took Moka off-guard. _Great. _She thought. _Now I'll feel guilty if I keep weeding her out like this. Darn you Ruby for being so good at manipulating people! _Moka waved her hand. "Fine. I forgive you. You are dismissed."

Ruby became confused. "But Moka, don't you think I should stay a little lon-"

"You are dismissed, Ruby." Moka repeated in hard tone that left no room for negotiation. Ruby quickly nodded and left the room, not wanting to be on the receiving end of a disobeyed order punishment.

Moka sighed and put her head in her hand as she collapsed into her (now well-worn) chair by Tsukune's bed. When had her life gotten so complicated? A month ago, life had been simple. Now, she was dating her servant that was in the hospital because of her, her old servant was out to kill her, her arch-enemy was living in her castle, and a complete and utter scumbag was proposing to her! Just thinking about it gave Moka a headache. She didn't know where to start on the path to smoothing things out. _I guess I should take care of Gin first… _She thought. _Knowing him, it's going to take multiple rejections to get the 'no' through that thick skull of his. Hmm… _Moka's inner musings were cut short by a soft knocking on the door. "Come in."

Moka was surprised when Kurumu, of all people, entered the infirmary. "How's he doing?" Kurumu asked, gesturing to Tsukune. Moka was suspicious; why did she care about Tsukune? "And yes, I am actually concerned about him." Apparently, Kurumu was able to read Moka quite well.

"Why?" Moka asked.

"Well…I like him." Moka's eyes widened and she clenched her fists at Kurumu's confession. Seeing this, Kurumu frantically spoke up once more. "Not like that!" She exclaimed. She sighed. "I mean…he was nice to me. I like that. It's like I was a person, not a princess, you know?" Moka nodded in understanding. Too often, people seemed to treat her as if she wasn't a person. Well, technically, she wasn't, but even monsters treated her as if she wasn't one of them, as if she was better than them, somehow. At first she had been somewhat pleased admittedly; those weaker monsters knew their place! Serves them right! But as she got older, Moka grew more and more lonely. Having Tsukune come along and treat her like she was his friend had felt like a breath of fresh air… maybe that's why she had fallen for him so easily.

"Can I maybe um… sit here? With you?" Kurumu asked. Moka raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Taking that as a good thing, Kurumu sat down in the seat next to Moka and joined her in staring at Tsukune as he slept. "So, er, how did he come to live in the castle?" Kurumu asked, trying to make small talk. Moka snorted.

"That's kind of a long story." She said. Kurumu smiled.

"It's not like I'm going anywhere, right?"

XXXXXXXX

"Hm. That's a pretty interesting story." Kurumu noted when Moka had finished.

"I think so." Moka replied. There was a comfortable silence for a minute or two before Kurumu spoke up again.

"So how was your dinner with Gin?" Moka frowned and narrowed her eyes, and Kurumu giggled. "That bad huh?"

"Ugh. The slime ball _proposed _to me." Moka said as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. Kurumu gasped.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Ewww!" Kurumu said, sticking out her tongue. "You said no, right?"

Moka rolled her eyes. "Of course! Who would want to be married to that moron?"

"I know, right!" Kurumu said, erupting into a fit of giggles, followed soon after by Moka. After all the drama that had been happening, it felt so good to just let go and laugh. As their giggles died down, Moka looked at Kurumu.

_Maybe she's not all that bad._ Moka thought. Moka was about to voice her opinion when there was another knock on the door. "What is it?" Moka asked.

The door opened and a servant entered. He coughed once. "Sorry to intrude on you, your highnesses, but Princess Moka has received a message from Prince FangFang."


	18. Things get even more complicated

Oh Moka and Tsukune, can you ever forgive me for having so much fun with making your lives so topsy-turvy?

**CHAPTER 18**

**THINGS GET EVEN MORE COMPLICATED**

Gin paced his room, frowning. Who the heck was Prince Fang-Fang, and why was he coming to the castle? Princess Moka was supposed to be _his_! Well, she had just turned down his marriage proposal without a second's hesitation, but still! Minor details! The point was, he was here first, and Prince Gin would be darned if he just let some other Prince mosey on in and try to take his place! Gin decided then and there that he was going to confront this new Prince and make sure that he knew his place!

XXXXXXXX

Gin tapped his foot in annoyance as he waited in the main hall with Moka and Kurumu for Prince Fang-Fang to arrive. _Where is he? _Gin thought. Just as he was about to call it quits and head back to his room, the door creaked open. Gin stood in rapt attention as the servant that was opening the door stepped aside, and Prince Fang-Fang came into view.

Gin was caught off-guard by how…_simple _he looked. Sure, the white Nehru jacket he was wearing was made of the finest silk, and the red pants of the same material, but it wasn't exactly what Gin expected a Prince to be wearing. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Fang-Fang, it's good to see you again." Moka said, stepping forward and extending her hand. Fang-Fang looked at her outstretched hand for a few moments, then batted it a way and grabbed Moka in a tight hug.

"Silly Moka!" Fang-Fang said, a goofy smile on his face. "You don't have to be so formal around an old friend!" Gin felt his mouth drop at such a blatant act of disrespect. He was so stunned, he could barely even finish a sentence in his thoughts.

_What? Huh? Urgh…Guh… Grrrr….How come he gets to do that?_

Moka coughed a few times. "Ack…Fang-Fang….Squeezing…too…hard…" Hearing this. Fang-Fang promptly let go and took a step back. Moka coughed a few times to try and regain her dignity, and then turned to Fang-Fang once more. "So, Fang-Fang…why are you here, exactly?"

"Well, you see, your parents found out about the whole Corma thing, and so they sent me to help protect you. Well, they said the kingdom, if you must know, but I'm sure they meant you." Fang-Fang replied.

"How did they find out about….never mind." Moka's eyes hardened. "Fang-Fang, while I appreciate the help, I can protect the kingdom just fine on my own." Fang-fang shrugged.

"That's what I said. But they were insistent." Moka put her head in her hand in a sign of exasperation.

"Fine. You and you're army can stay." Moka conceded. She turned and gestured towards Gin. "I guess I better introduce you. Fang-Fang, this is Prince Gin. He is staying with us for the time being." Fang-Fang strutted over and stuck out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Prince Gin! I'm Prince Fang-Fang, leader if the strongest military in the land!" He boasted. Gin dubiously took the outstretched hand and shook, not sure of what to make of the eccentric Prince.

XXXXXXXXX

Yukari struggled to get a good grip on the pile of wooden planks in front of her. Ever since Tsukune had left to help out in the castle, all of the extra manual labor that had normally been Tsukune's job had fallen to her. Yukari sighed and look around. Since Tsukune had gone to work in the castle, Princess Moka had been true to her word and the taxes had stopped coming for the Aono family. Since they no longer had to forgo repairs in favor of paying the king, they had spent the last month or so repairing their house. It was looking a lot better already; the roof had been re-shingled, and there were no more holes in the walls. Still, there was a lot of work to be done, and sometimes Yukari couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Sweetheart?" Yukari was brought out of her daze by her mother calling her name. Blinking, Yukari focused on her mother's concerned face.

"Yeah, mom?" She asked.

"Are you all right, sweetheart? You've been daydreaming more and more often these past few days."

Yukari sighed. "I guess that I miss Tsukune, mom. It's so weird not having him around!" Her mother frowned.

"I know what you mean; it feels strange not having him here. And your father certainly misses your brother, too." She said, glancing behind her and saw her husband taking a nap. She smiled exasperatedly. "Well, when's he's awake he misses Tsukune." Suddenly, Ms. Aono had an idea. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "Didn't Princess Moka say we could visit?" Yukari nodded, smiling as she realized what her mother was getting at. Yukari nodded excitedly, and her mother smiled. "Why don't we visit tomorrow? It'll be nice to see him again!"

"Yay!" Yukari exclaimed excitedly, leaping around with joy. Mrs. Aono smiled.

"It's settled then; tomorrow, Tsukune gets a surprise visit from his family!"

"Can I go too?" Came a creepy voice that sent shivers up Yukari and her mothers' spines. They looked behind them and saw Mizore's purple-haired head staring at them from behind the nearest tree.

"Um, Mizore, how long have you been there?" Yukari asked.

"Can I come with you to see Tsukune?" Mizore repeated, as usual ignoring Yukari. Ms. Aono sighed, used to being caught off-guard by her son's best friend.

"Sure, Mizore, you can with us."

"Thank you." Came Mizore's frosty reply as she slid behind the tree and disappeared. After waiting a few seconds to make sure that Mizore was gone, Mrs. Aono sighed once more.

"She's a strange girl…"

XXXXXXXXXX

If you don't know, a Nehru jacket is the name of the sweater Fang-Fang is always wearing. Also, I didn't realize how hard Fang-Fang is to write for.


	19. Reunion

**CHAPTER 19**

**REUNION**

Tsukune signed his name at the bottom of the paper, putting down his pencil as he scanned the letter. He smiled in satisfaction when he found nothing wrong with his work. The previous day, he had asked one of the doctors for some paper and pens; it had been a long time since he had contacted his family, and the only news that he had heard from town was off-hand gossip form the messengers. Since he figured he was going to be in the infirmary for a while, he might as well be somewhat productive. Tsukune stared at the note and frowned at the noticeable omission of two key facts. The first fact that Tsukune had left out was that he had gotten a rather high-class girlfriend. Although he understood why he couldn't tell anybody about his and Princess Moka's relationship, he still wished that he could tell his family; after all, didn't they deserve to know? Oh well, it was best not to dwell on things like that.

The other dirty little secret Tsukune was keeping was not for safety reasons, but because he didn't want his family to worry. His injury at Corma's hands had gotten better over the weeks, but you can't just get back onto your feet after being stabbed with something, regardless of what it was. Luckily, Tsukune would be back on his feet soon enough, but he was getting restless. He looked out the window to his left and let his mind wander. Or, at least, he would have, if there hadn't been a knock on the door.

"Come in." Tsukune said without looking. The door opened, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by a very powerful monstrous aura. Tsukune knew of only two monsters that would have an aura that strong: Moka and Kokoa. Since Moka kept her aura tightly reined in, it meant that Kokoa was in the infirmary. Tsukune turned to greet the princess, but suddenly his eyes bugged out, and he was unable to speak save to utter out one word. "C-Corma."

"Oh, you remember me! I'm so happy!" Corma exclaimed happily. "But, then again, I made it hard to forget me, didn't I?" Tsukune was too stunned to respond. His mind had gone into flashback mode, and he was remembering the pain when Corma's hand had pierced his body, how long he has spent in the infirmary… Tsukune looked at Corma again, and realized that he looked a lot different than the last time he had seen him. He looked like a prince, with his brown leather jacket that was studded with gold buttons down the front and on the cuffs that matched the gold chain braided down his chest. A ruby-encrusted leather belt held up his pants, and both his pants and shirt were embroidered with elegant patterns. Tsukune didn't care; he could still see that it was the same old Corma, the one that had hurt him, and more importantly, the one that had heard Moka. He opened his mouth.

"HE-" Tsukune's cry for help was cut short when Corma, using his vampire-speed, dashed forward and pulled a chloroform drugged handkerchief from his pocket. He shoved it into Tsukune's face and saw him go limp as the drug kicked in. Corma grabbed Tsukune and slung him over his shoulder. "Almost too easy." He muttered to himself as he leapt out the window.

XXXXXX

Tsukune groaned as he came to, his body aching all over and his head full of cotton, and the fact that someone had a firm grip on his hair didn't make finding his bearings any easier.

_SMACK. _"Wake up." _SMACK. _"I said wake up!" Tsukune reluctantly opened his eyes and did his best to focus on the situation in front of him. His vision was groggy, but he could make out a tall, lanky man with glasses and black hair standing directly in front of him. Tsukune guessed that this was the man pulling on his hair, and a sharp tug from his scalp confirmed his suspicions.

"Where am I?" Tsukune asked. His answer was a smack to the face.

"Shut up!" The man snarled. "I'm the one asking questions here!"

_Oh great. _Tsukune thought. _What have I gotten myself into now?_

XXXXXX

Yukari skipped eagerly up the hill to the castle, as chipper as ever at the prospect of once again seeing her beloved big brother. Her parents and Mizore followed close behind, less open but no less eager to see Tsukune. They had each brought something fir the boy: Yukari had brought some short stories that she had written, Mrs. Aono had packed a lunch, Mr. Aono had bought his son the book _1001 Ways to Woo a Girl_, and Mizore had brought…well, no one knew what Tsukune's best friend had brought, and they weren't about to ask, so they let the girl stay in character with her silent stalking routine. Arriving at the Castle door, Yukari knocked, knocked, and kept on knocking until one of the servants opened the door.

"Yes?" the servant asked. Yukari didn't answer; she was too busy smiling. So, her mother stepped in.

"Um, yes, we're the Aono's. We're here to see Tsukune?" The servant looked at the party skeptically, so Mrs. Aono quickly spoke up once more. "You can ask Princess Moka, if you like." The servant raised an eyebrow, but stepped aside and gestured inside.

"Wait here."

XXXXXX

Moka was in her personal training room, as she was every day, when the servant came and informed her that Tsukune's posse was here for a visit. Moka did her best to hide her surprise as she processed the information.

_His family, huh? Well, I wish that they had given some sort of warning… but then again, I did tell them that they could visit…but what are we going to tell them about Tsukune in the infirmary? I'll ask him... it will give him a heads up too._

Moka opened the door to the infirmary and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the empty bed and sheets all askew across the mattress. Moka dashed forward and clutched the edge of the bed so hard she bent it.

"Tsukune?" She cried frantically as she searched the room for her boyfriend. "Tsukune? Tsukune! TSUKUNE!"


	20. Suck it up!

Wow… twenty chapters. When I started this little project, I was going to go in a _completely _different direction (as you can probably tell from the now-outdated summary). However, I am immensely happy with how the story is going and looking back at the first couple chapters is like a time capsule to when my writing was so bad it's embarrassing. Anyway, enjoy!

**CHAPTER 20**

**Suck it up!**

Yukari's eyes darted all around the main hall, taking in every foreign object with wide-eyed wonder. Her parents were doing the same, although much more subtle. Mizore just kind of sat and stared. None of them had seen anything so extravagant in their entire lives, which was yet another example of the chasm between the rich and the poor. They soaked in the sights for a few more minutes before Mizore spoke up.

"How long will we be waiting?" She asked to no one in particular. They were all thinking the same thing, but Mizore was the only one who had so little tact that she would actually voice her complaints about the royal family. Nobody answered her.

XXXXXX

Moka was on borderline panic, and despite her best efforts, it was showing. Her hair was a mess her eye was twitchy, and she was so on edge that everyone was afraid to approach her lest they face her wrath. Sadly, this was not helping her get any closer to finding out where Tsukune had disappeared to.

"Should have assigned guards." Moka berated herself under her breath. "Why the hell didn't I?" She asked. Of course, she knew the answer: people might start asking questions about why armed guards were protecting nothing more than a measly servant. That was one of the reasons Moka visited everyday: to discourage attacks. Clearly, that tactic hadn't worked out. Moka was busy going over every possible scenario when somebody clearing his or her throat interrupted her. She spun and saw clearly uncomfortable servant waiting behind her. "What?" She barked in agitation.

"Er, well..s-sorry to disturb you Princess," The servant started, "but you see…the guests are still waiting. Should I send them away or-"

"No." Moka interrupted. As horrible as their timing was, sending away the Aono family would only make them suspicious. But Moka knew she couldn't face them; not without Tsukune safe and sound. She thought a few moments and came to a conclusion. "Give them a tour of the grounds." Moka instructed. "And take as long as you can." The servant nodded and scurried away, leaving Moka alone. She grit her teeth as she kept coming to the same conclusion no matter what scenario she came up with: she had no clue what to do. Moka realized that no matter how much she hated it, no matter how much it pained her, she was going to have to swallow her pride and…ask for help.

XXXXX

The servant entered the main hall where the Aono family was patiently waiting and got their attention by clapping twice. "I'm sorry," he began, "but the Princess is rather busy at the moment. While she cleans up loose ends, she has requested for you to have a tour of the grounds. Please follow me." The servant started up the stairs without waiting for a response.

"Oh wow, a tour!" Yukari squealed as she bounded up the stairs. Her father followed, chuckling, while his wife brought up the rear. Mrs. Aono looked around.

"Hey," Mrs. Aono noticed. "Where's Mizore?"

XXXXX

Ruby paused in her potion making as a strange sensation traveled up her spine. The royal witch looked up, alarmed. She had felt that sensation only once before, when she…no, it couldn't be. Ruby shook her head and tried to focus on her potion, but the same thought kept nagging her.

XXXXX

Moka stared at the wooden door, trying to bring herself to knock. _It's for Tsukune, it's for Tsukune _Moka kept mentally chanting. It wasn't working. Finally, Moka decided that she had been wasting too much time. She shut her eyes and, fighting her every instinct, Moka brought up her hand and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the room's occupant opened the door.

"Moka!" Gin exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "Hello!"

"Hello Gin." Moka deadpanned, resisting her natural urge to punch the pervert in the face.

"What brings you here?" Gin asked, genuinely curious; As far as he could tell, Moka was doing all she could to avoid him.

"I take it you've heard about the servant that has gone missing."

"Of course." Gin responded. The news was all over the castle: Moka's personal servant had vanished into thin air.

"We seem to be having some… _trouble _finding him." Moka accidentally put extra emphasis on the word as she forced it out. Gin's eyebrows shot up. Was Moka asking what he thought she was asking?

"What are you saying?" He goaded, enjoying himself. Moka narrowed her eyes in anger.

"I need your…your…" Moka grew angrier and angrier at Gin as she tried to force out her request. He was clearly enjoying himself. How dare he do this to her vampire pride! "I need your…help!" Moka finally managed to force out. Gin smiled in victory and gestured towards the hospital.

"Is that all? Why didn't you say so earlier? Lead the way!" Moka, fuming, started towards the hospital with Gin in tow while, unbeknownst to either of them, they were shadowed by a silent girl with purple hair...

XXXXX

Next thing to upload will probably be the winner of the Mornings poll.


	21. Slip of the Toungue

I was going to post the next chapter of Changers, but I'm having a little bit of trouble getting it off of the ground. So, I worked on this.

**CHAPTER 21**

**SLIP OF THE TOUNGUE**

Kurumu absent-mindedly folded and re-folded her clothes, her head in a million places at once. She, like most of the castle, couldn't stop thinking about Tsukune. However, while the general concern was that the safety of the castle had been compromised, Kurumu was worried about Tsukune. She hadn't known the servant all that long, but she rather liked him. Besides, Moka obviously cared for him quite a bit, what with the way she was acting, and despite everything, Kurumu considered the two of them friends.

There was a knock on the door, and Kurumu wondered who it was. There were only a few people in the castle who would need her, and Kurumu shuddered at the idea that it might be Gin. Luckily, it wasn't. But Kurumu was confused. Instead of anybody she knew, there was a small black-haired girl, a petite brown-haired woman with a soft smile, and a tall man with a grin so wide it didn't seem to fit on his face. In front of the motley group was a servant who was looking rather nervous. "Sorry to interrupt Princess Kurumu," The servant said. "But I am giving the Aono's a tour of the castle-"

"The Aono's?" Kurumu interrupted, perplexed. "Oh, are you here to visit Tsukune?"

"Yeah!" Yukari cheered. Kurumu raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"But… he's missing." She said.

There was a moment or two of silence as everyone remained as still as statues. "Um, what?" Mrs. Aono said in small voice. "Missing?" Her eye started twitching. "What do you mean he's missing?"

"Well, he was in the hospital, and-"

"The Hospital!" Yukari cried. "What was he doing in the hospital?" Kurumu stared at the group.

"Wait…" She started, a little nervous. "You mean you…didn't know?" Kurumu guessed that they didn't by their stunned faces. _Oh crap…_

Mrs. Aono turned to their guide. "Where is Princess Moka now?" The servant, flustered, didn't answer. "Where is she?" Mrs. Aono urged.

"S-she's probably in the hospital right now." The servant said.

"Where is that?" Mrs. Aono asked. The servant told her, and Mrs. Aono, her husband, and Yukari took off down the hallway. Kurumu, on an impulse, followed them.

"What are you doing?" she cried to Mrs. Aono, who answered without looking back.

"Moka said she would take care of Tsukune; she not only let him get hurt, then she didn't tell us! Princess or not, she's about to face a mother's wrath!"

XXXX

Moka watched with a hand on her hip as Gin dragged his nose across the floor. He had already checked the beds and the furniture and was almost done with the examination of the room. Gin stood up and shrugged, indicating that he hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. Moka cursed under her breath. She had hoped that Gin's enhanced werewolf senses would have been able to find something amiss, some sort of clue to who had taken Tsukune. But there was nothing. Moka frowned.

"What exactly did you smell?" She asked. Gin gave her a confused look, but responded.

"You know, the usual: medicine, the docters, Kurmu, a couple vampires… nothing odd." Moka mulled over his words in her head, and then something occurred to her.

"A couple vampire scents?" She asked aloud to no one in particular. That didn't make any sense. Obviously there would be some vampire scent because of Moka's visits, but Kokoa hated Tsukune; she had made a point of never visiting. Could the person who took Tsukune been a vampire? It was a long shot, but it was the only lead Moka had, and she was going to take it. She was just about to give Gin more orders when she heard a large group of footprints coming down the hallway. Turing, Moka saw the Aono's sliding into the hospital with Kurumu following hot on their heels. Mrs. Aono had a flushed face, and something made Moka highly doubt it had been from the running. _Uh oh._

XXXX

Ruby clenched her fist as she made her way down the hall. She had tried her best to ignore the calling ("Curiosity killed the cat," she kept chanting), but eventually she decided she could resist no longer. She had stormed out of her room and down the hallway, following the feeling as it grew ever stronger. She entered the main hall and went up the stairs, hoping that she was wrong. She turned a corner and saw the entrance to the hospital, and with it she saw the source of the feeling. Quickly hiding behind the wall, she peered out.

" Yukari…" She whispered. "You've grown up so much…"

XXXX

Tsukune grunted as he was punched yet again in the stomach. It had been going on for hours, this repeated beating. At first Tsukune thought that his captors wanted information, but after a few hours Tsukune realized that that was simply not the case. No, these people were hurting him because they wanted to. Tsukune was sure that there wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't have a bruise. His tormentor brought his fist back for another blow and Tsukune tightened his muscles in anticipation.

"Enough Hokuto." Came Corma's voice from somewhere in the darkness. The man hesitated, then lowered his fist and stepped back. _So his name's Hokuto…_ Tsukune filed that little tidbit somewhere in his memory as Corma stepped forward and leaned down so that he and Tsukune were eye-to-eye.

"How did that feel?" Corma asked. Tsukune didn't; answer the obviously rhetorical question. Corma's face turned nasty and he bared his fangs. "Bad, I hope! Because that's how you made me feel!"

Somehow, Tsukune found the strength to ask "What do you mean?"

Corma snarled and he turned away. "You humans don't understand, but us Vampires live and die by our honor. You don't know what it's like to live in disgrace. To have your name spat upon by the very people whom you used to call your friends… And to have it all be because of the Akashiya's."

XXXX

You guys have no idea how much technical trouble I had while I was writing this chapter.


	22. Backstory

For those who don't know, Kasumi is Mrs. Aono's name in the anime; I'm going to start using it here, as I really don't feel like writing 'Mrs. Aono said, Mrs. Aono did,' over and over again.

**CHAPTER 22**

**BACKSTORY**

Kurumu looked on anxiously, mentally cursing herself for the slip of the tongue. But really, how was she supposed to know that Tsukune's family didn't know he was in the hospital? Moka had never told her! The busty princess frowned; that reasoning sounded hollow, even to her. And now, because of her screw-up, Moka had been put between a rock and a hard place.

Moka found it hard to hold Mrs. Aono's gaze, despite the vast difference in power and stature. The amount of force, love, and motherly protective instinct lurking behind Kasumi's pupils were enough to give Moka pause. Despite herself, Moka felt jealousy flare up inside of her. Would her own mother ever do something like this to protect her? Did the same emotion Moka saw in Mrs. Aono ever appear her mother? These questions and more clouded Moka's mind, but she did her best to shake them away. She didn't have time to worry about the loneliness that she felt day in and day out, or the coldness and isolation that was not only prominent in her own family but in the life of a royal as a whole, and-

_Focus._ Moka scolded. _You need to find a way out of the situation. _Moka cleared her throat, her perfectly composed face never faltering. Using the most mannerly and regal voice she could muster, Moka set about to give some sort of explanation that would put her in the clear. "I'm very sorry to have caused you distress, Mrs. Aono," Moka started. "I understand that you are upset, and I am terribly sorry that we didn't inform you of your son's injury and kidnapping, but you must understand that it was a matter of the kingdom's security that we kept this a secret from you." Kurumu was impressed; she would almost defiantly have never been able to come up with such a perfect deflection like Moka had. Pulling the "for the kingdom's security" card generally made most people think twice about scrutinizing or asking any more questions.

Apparently, Mrs. Aono was not most people. "What could possibly be so dangerous about telling us that Tsukune was hurt?" She challenged, undeterred. Moka narrowed her eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Mrs. Aono. It needs to remain a secret."

"Liar!" Kasumi accused, shoving her finger in Moka's unflinching face. "You expect us to believe that flimsy excuse when you can't even give us a viable reason? Why didn't you tell us? Now Tsukune is gone…" Kasumi crumbled to the ground, her anger dissipating and instead being replaced by sorrow. "Tsukune is gone…" she mumbled, her head falling into her hands and tears leaking through her fingers as the reality of the situation hit home. Her husband bent down to help her to her feet while Yukari watched on, and Moka felt something knawing at her heart. It didn't take long to decipher the feeling:

Guilt.

Moka bit her lip as the sudden desire to tell everything appeared and nearly overwhelmed her. Watching Mrs. Aono slowly shuffle out of the infirmary, Moka had a flashback to the day that she met the Aono family. They had taken her in and fed her and treated her like one of them. Granted she was the princess and they had an obligation to do it, but she got the sense that they would have done the same thing regardless. Plus, there was that not so small detail that she was in a relationship with their son…Moka ignored the voice that was saying this was going to be a bad idea and spoke up.

"Wait." The Aono's paused and turned around, already halfway through the door. "I'll tell you what happened to Tsukune."

XXXXXXX

Tsukune remained silent as he absorbed the new information Corma had just given to him. Despite himself, Tsukune found that he was growing ever more curious as to what had happened between the Akashiyas and the Stomoculas. "What happened?" Tsukune asked weakly. Corma's eyes lit up with eagerness, and he smirked, sending chills up Tsukune's spine. Corma reached out and grabbed an empty and blood-spattered chair. Pulling it over, he sat down and casually reclined, as if he were enjoying a relaxing book instead of talking to a tortured prisoner.

Corma cleared his throat before starting his story. "Our families, the Stomoculas and the Akashiyas, have known each other for many generations. Although no record of the partnership has ever been made, we have been compaions for quite some time. Everything was fine; good relations, peace treaties, the usual friendly kingdoms. Then, three genarations ago, something changed. The newest Akashiya heir was nothing like his predecesors; whereas they had no desire to obtain more power and land through a bloody war, this heir was a bloodthirsty monster more ghoul than vampire. He decided that the best way to get more land and power was to take out the one kingdom that posed a major threat: the neighboring kingdom of the Stomoculas. So, one night, the heir called the Stomocula king to dine with him." Corma paused in his story to take a breath, and Tsukune found himself wondering as to what exactly had happened; what sort of act did the former king commit to bring retribution down on his family three generations later? Corma took a breath, and Tsukune raptly opened his ears to hear the rest of the story. "The heir considered many possibilities to take out his self-proclaimed enemy, but decided that all but one would look too suspicious. So, when the two kings dined that evening, the heir slipped poison into his own meal."

"Why?" Tsukune interrupted unthinkingly. "That doesn't make any sense." There was a second of silence before Corma viciously smacked Tsukune across the face. Tsukune, still reeling from the earlier torture, cried out in pain as red spots danced before his vision.

"Don't interrupt me!" Corma commanded. He coughed, then continued talking as if nothing had happened. "King Stomocula, unaware of what was happening, became alarmed when his fellow king suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed. He helped his friend to the hospital wing of the castle, then stood by his side for days. And how do the Akashiyas repay him?" Corma clenched his jaw and his fist as he slowly filled with rage. "They accuse him of trying to poison the king! The fools! Of course, the Stomoculas denied it, but nobody listened; all anybody knew was that King Akashiya had been given poisoned food while King Stomocula's food was perfectly fine. No kingdom would trust them; they were deemed traitors to the good of the land, and it wasn't long before they were invaded, not by the Akashiyas, but by the other kingdoms that were afraid of invasion! My family was decimated, and the Akashiyas stepped in to pick up the shattered pieces of their kingdom! Ever since, the surviving members of my family have slowly planned and bided their time until their revenge could be completed. We had the perfect plan… but then YOU showed up and screwed everything up!" Corma leaned in and grabbed Tsukune's collar.

"I don't understand… what did I do? How did I screw it all up?" Tsukune asked, at a loss. He didn't get it; what had he done to interfere with them? He had just become a servant, for pete's sake! Corma said nothing, just shoved Tsukune backwards into the chair and rose from his own.

"It doesn't matter if you understand or not; all that matters is that you won't interfere any longer." Corma looked to the edge of the room, where Tsukune saw Hokuto standing silently, watching. "Do whatever you want with him." Corma spat as he left the room. "I'm finished with him." The slamming of the door echoed within the room, and Tsukune swore that a soul-chilling smile found it's way onto Hokuto's face as he slowly advanced on the helpless human.


	23. The Plot Gets Moving Once More

I'm sorry. That's all I can say after not updating for so long: I'm sorry. Life has been rather hectic over the past month, what with finals and then some personal problems coming up, that I haven't gotten the chance to do any writing whatsoever. Now that everything's resolved, however, I should be able to resume my previous update schedule. Again, I'm sorry, and please enjoy the newest chapter!

XXXXXX

**CHAPTER 23**

**THE PLOT GETS MOVING ONCE MORE**

Kasumi felt her legs go weak as Moka finished explaining. The Princess had told them the truth (excluding the fact that they were dating), and Kasumi had taken it quite hard. The poor women had grown paler and paler as Moka told of Tsukune's disappearance, and finally could take no more and collapsed into the nearby chair. Mr. Aono immediately moved to comfort his wife while Yukari stared at Moka in shock, saying nothing. Suddenly, tears start forming, and before Yukari realized what was happening she was bawling.

"Tsukune!" She cried, despairing at the loss of her beloved older brother. Even Mizore, who had slunk back into the room during the explanation, could feel her heart sink and her ice-cool demeanor start to melt. Moka looked at the scene, guilt weighing on her heart. She hardened her face to the scene doing her best to look nonchalant. One of the most important parts of being royalty was keeping a cool head in the face of any and all catastrophes. That included both public and personal issues. Moka was very good at keeping a cool head, or at least looking like she did. She had to take control of this situation, now, before things got out of hand. However, before Moka could say anything, Ruby burst into the room and practically flew over to Yukari.

The royal witch cuddled the young girl protectively in her arms. Or at least she tried to. Yukari reacted quickly, shoving her way out of Ruby's arms and dashing over to her mother. "Ruby!" Moka snarled, aghast at the witch's sudden outburst; Moka had known that Ruby was outside the room (her vampire senses had never let her down), but had seen no problem with allowing her to stay there. Now however, Moka was starting to very much regret her decision. "What the hell are you doing!"

"I couldn't take it anymore my Princess!" Ruby wailed, sounding a lot like Yukari had not two minutes ago. "I didn't want Yukari to cry anymore!"

"Why do you care?" Moka exclaimed, getting slightly fed up. What was with Ruby? She was normally so upbeat (admittedly a little creepy), but generally pleasant to be around. This was not the case presently. Ruby's eyes were as wide as saucers with an ocean of sadness, and there were tears water falling down her cheeks. Her lips were clamped together and wiggling with unsaid words.

"She…she's my daughter." Ruby said in a quiet voice.

XXXXXX

"How is he?" Corma asked. Hokuto grunted.

"Unconscious. He's surprisingly sturdy for a human. Even so, nobody would be able to hold out much longer." Hokuto replied, his mouth pulling up into a rather evil-looking smirk. He casually reached into hos pocket and pulled out a towel, wiping his hands. Torturing prisoners was, while fun, quite the dirty job, and Hokuto had figured out long ago that he should always carry around a towel.

Corma considered his options. He was in charge of leading the assault on the Akashiyas- he needed to plan each move meticulously and thoroughly before moving on to get the maximum impact. He knew, without a doubt, that Tsukune would be able to help him get his revenge-but how? Maybe a barging chip? No, no much too obvious. Any ploy set up like that would be as easy to see thorough as a Succubus's dress. Silence filled the air as Corma analyzed each and every choice. Finally, he settled on the nastiest thing he could think of.

A wicked smile spread across the face of the maniacal prince. Oh yes. This would do just fine. "Alert me when the human wakes up; we have business to take care of." He barked at Hokuto before pivoting and leaving the dungeon. Hokuto watched him go, him own plan forming….

XXXXXX

Kokoa let out a loud yell as she delivered the finishing blow to her practice dummy. The punch sent the wooden head flying across the room before hitting the back wall and smashing into a multitude of fragments. Kokoa stared at the now-broken dummy before crying out in exasperation and storming off to get another one.

Truthfully, Kokoa was getting bored. Over the past few days, little had happened around the castle. Even Prince Gin, who could usually be counted on to make a good ruckus, had remained suspiciously quiet. As such, Kokoa had been forced to do nothing but train all day, and while that normally would not be a problem, Kokoa had gotten the feeling that she was being left out of something very important in her older sister's life. It bothered her, being left out like this, and she-

"Princess Kokoa!" Fang-Fang burst into the room, startling the princess and destroying her train of thought. "I have important information regarding the disappearance of the human servant!"

Kokoa quickly gained her composure before speaking up. "What do you think you're doing here Fang-Fang!" She yelled, completely ignoring any and all formalities. "You're supposed to _knock_ when you go into a girl's room!"

"Yes, well, that might be the case, but I feel as if this is the more pressing matter1" Fang-Fang urged seriously. Kokoa huffed but decided it wouldn't hurt to at least listen Fang-Fang might act like an idiot, but he wasn't the leader of one of the greatest armies in the world for nothing.

"What is it?" She grumbled. Fang-Fang leaned close and motioned for Kokoa to do the same. The Princess rolled her eyes but leaned forward anyway.

"I believe that someone is leaking information to the Stomoculas." Fang-Fang whispered. Kokoa's eyes widened.

"What?" she yelled. Fang-Fang frantically indicated that she should be quiet, and Kokoa grudgingly lowered her voice. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Yes, but I'm sure of it." Fang-Fang said confidently. Kokoa still had one question though.

"Why did you tell me instead of Moka?" She asked. Moka, being the older sister, technically was the one who should have been told.

"Princess Moka is…too close." Fang-Fang said. Kokoa was silent.

"Do you have any idea who the spy could be?" Fang-Fang nodded yes. Kokoa grinned wickedly. "Well then, let's pay them a visit, shall we?"


	24. Omens of Ill

**CHAPTER 24**

**OMENS OF ILL**

The room fell quiet, nearly every eye on Ruby. However, nobody was more surprised with the revelation than Yukari. Her mouth hung open in shock, and her grip on Kasumi's shirt tightened so much her hands almost turned white. Ruby sat in the center of the room, nervous but determined in the face of all the attention. Her lips were clenched in a thin line and her eyes shone with willpower and the happiness of having a burden lifted.

Moka looked between the witch and the young girl. When she looked closely, there certainly were a lot of similarities between the two. Both had sleek black hair, their eyes were similar colors, and even their faces looked somewhat the same. In fact, Moka was surprised that she hadn't noticed the similarities when she first saw Yukari. The princess glared at them both in turn; this was a major problem, yes, but it was also distracting them from their original goal. Since Ruby was here, Moka was intent on utilizing the witch's magical powers.

"...Mom? Is she telling the truth?" Yukari suddenly asked of Kasumi, who had avoided looking at both Ruby and Yukari since the former entered the room. No response. "Mom?" Kasumi and her husband avoided Yukari's imploring eyes. "Mom! Dad! Answer me!" She commanded, tears starting to form. Moka couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl; how would it feel to find out that the people who raised you weren't actually your parents? And then have some complete stranger turn out to be your mother?

Reluctantly, Kasumi turned her head and looked at Yukari. She sighed. "Yes, it's true." She looked at Ruby. "That woman is your real mother. She gave you to us when you were nothing more than a baby." Yukari whipped her head around.

"Why?"

Ruby resisted the urge to look away, instead looking her estranged daughter directly in the eyes. "I was young and...I didn't know what to do. When I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. Witches weren't very accepted yet, and I had no way of knowing what they would do to any child I had. I didn't WANT to give you away, but I thought it would keep you safe. I gave birth by myself, and then I hid you. After a month, I went looking for someone to take care of you. I found the Aono's and well..." Rub gestured to the two adults, who had remained eerily silent while Ruby told her story. But she was not done yet.

"I always stayed close," Ruby continued, speaking p before anyone could interrupt her. "I presented myself to the Akashiya's, who took me in as their Royal Witch. I've alwas been close by, but I've been so afraid to get close to you." Ruby finally finished, looking at Yukari hopefully. The young girl slowly took a step away from Kasumi, then another, looking back and forth between her mother and the mother she thought she knew.

"You lied to me..." She warbled, sadness laced through her voice. "You all lied to me!" She turned and sprinted out of the room, sobbing. Ruby made a move to follow her, but Moka reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Moka recognized something in Yukari: the desire to be left alone. She herself had been like that for most of her life. Moka shook her head at the witch, who sagged in defeat, knowing that she would never break the vampire's iron grip. Moka thought for a second or two.

"Guards!" She called. The two guards standing outside of the room immediately entered, unperturbed by the overwhelming mess of emotion. Moka gazed at the Aono's. She felt bad for them; they had lost both of their children in a short time. She remembered how they had taken her in: they were good people, and they didn't deserve what was happening to them. She wished she could make them feel better, but she was horrible with feelings and helping people with them. The only thing she could think to do now was find Tsukune. "I want you to take these people to the dining hall and feed them dinner; after that I want you to do whatever they ask. Treat them with the same respect that you would treat me." The guards nodded. Moka gestured for Ruby to follow her and left the room.

XXXXXX

Moka cursed herself for calling on that idiotic werewolf Gin when she had somebody much better in the castle: Ruby. With her Crystal ball, she could easily hone in on Tsukune's position, and it would be easy to mount a rescue mission from there. Or at least that was the plan. Ruby was struggling to focus on the Crystal ball under Moka's scrutiny. They were in the witch's sanctum sanctorum. Moka was standing to the side, allowing Ruby to concentrate, but it was not an easy thing to do. Her emotions were all over the place, from jubilance ("Yukari has gotten so big! I'll bet she's made a lot of friends!") too sorrow ("She hates me now! What was I thinking, telling her that she's not really their daughter?"), and everything in between.

"Ruby!" Moka barked, losing control of her temper. "What's taking so long?" The witch shuddered: the last thing she needed was to get on the bad side of the Princess.

"Sorry Princess, I'm almost ready." _All right Ruby, you have to focus! The Princess is counting on you! _Ruby closed her eyes and cleared her mind, softly murmuring to herself the necessary incantation to see Tsukune. Slowly, she opened her eyes, now glowing with magical power, and gazed into the crystal ball. "I see… I see a castle. It is old, downtrodden. But there is an evil aura surrounding it. Someone…or some_thing_… sinister lives there." Ruby's eyes returned to normal as she straightened up, the crystal ball clearing up. "That is where Tsukune is."

Moka held her breath. It seemed almost too easy. "Can you tell me where the castle is?" Ruby nodded once. Moka smirked. Whatever was in the castle, they had made a grave mistake in kidnaping Tsukune. Moka was going to get him back.

No matter what.


	25. Plugging the Leak

**CHAPTER 25**

**PLUGGING THE LEAK**

Fang-Fang led the way, doing his best to ignore Princess Kokoa's incessant questioning of who the informant was and how he found out. He had quite a lot of practice with tuning out potential distractions, a skill he had refined on the battlefield, and as such he was instead focusing on figuring out just how much information had been leaked.

Kokoa frowned. She didn't like being ignored, but it seemed there was nothing she could do about it right now: Fang-Fang simply refused to acknowledge her. Instead, Kokoa entertained herself by fantasizing about what she was going to do to the traitor once they found him. She started muttering. "Maybe I can take his arm and put it in his….no wait…I think I can cut that off…"

Fang-Fang shuddered. He was _really _happy Princess Kokoa never got that angry with him. Fang-Fang stopped, noticing that they had reached their destination. "Princess Kokoa, we are here." Kokoa stopped in her muttering and looked up at the door, confused.

_But this is…_

Fang-Fang shoved open the door and steeped onto the training grounds for the knights. The air reverberated with attack cries and the sound of weapons hacking practice dummies. Kokoa leaned forward and whispered into Fang-Fang's ear. "Fang-Fang, what are we doing here? There's no way one of our knights could be the traitor...right?" Fang-Fang's troubled face as he scanned the crowd was the only answer Kokoa needed.

This knowledge only served to infuriate the princess even more. How could one of the knights betray the kingdom like this? It didn't make any sense! Fang-Fang, having spotted his prime suspect, started walking, keeping his pace casual so as not to alarm the worm. Kokoa followed closely, using all of her willpower to restrain herself.

Approaching a group of knights whose backs were to them, fang-Fang cleared his throat to get their attention. The armor-clad knights turned, and their jovial attitudes instantly shifted when they saw their visitors. They all dropped to one knee in respect. "Prince Fang-Fang! Princess Kokoa! We didn't know you were observing our training today!" The middle one said, head bowed. Kokoa crossed her arms and glared, while Fang-Fang merely observed, taking in as many details as possible.

"Rise!" Kokoa snapped. The knights complied immediately. Kokoa discreetly leaned towards her accomplice, her eyes still scanning the knights. "Which one is it?" Kokoa whispered. Fang-Fang narrowed his eyes.

"Kiria Yoshii." One of the knights stepped forward, looking relaxed and confident. Kokoa raised an eyebrow. As she recalled, this was one of their best knights, with a winning streak that had impressed even the king. He had never been seen very angry, but was generally unliked by the rest of the knights due to the bloodlust the seemed to overtake him during a fight. Kokoa had never really paid much attention to him, but right now she was quite dubious.

"What do you need?" asked Kiria, ignoring the normal formalities one used when addressing royalty. Kokoa ignored the blatant disrespect and instead closed I for the kill.

"What have you been telling the Stomoculas?" Kokoa demanded. Fang-Fang mentally groaned. He really, _really_, should have known Princess Kokoa, somebody famous for having absolutely no tact at all, would just blurt out something like that. Situations like this needed to be handle with sensitivity! Now he was just going to deny it and claim that they had made a mistake and-

"So you know huh? Took you long enough." Kiria responded lazily.

Fang-Fang's train of thought was suddenly de-railed. _Um, what just happened? _Kokoa smiled and brought back her fist.

"Smile!" she cried, throwing a punch. To Kokoa's astonishment, Kiria quickly reacted by grabbing the punch and using her own vampire strength against her, throwing her off-balance and away from the fight.

Fang-Fang and the knights reacted quickly, drawing their weapons and leaping into action. Kiria raised his arm and transformed it into a blade, swinging in a wide arc that the knights just barely dodged. Fang-Fang hung back, focusing his energy to summon one of his more powerful beasts; he didn't know what kind of monster Kiria was yet, and he didn't want to take any chances.

He needn't have bothered. In the middle of a fight with one of the knight, Kiria was suddenly sent flying by a vicious punch in the face. The traitor slammed into the ground, moaning and clearly unconscious. Kokoa cracked her knuckles, sneering at the pathetic former knight. "Some fighter he turned out to be." She muttered. "Gather him up and take him to my quarters!" Kokoa commanded, turing and walking towards Fang-Fang as the knights scrambled to fufill the order. The poor prince just looked on in shock.

"Princess Kokoa!" He exclaimed. "But-I thought- didn't he throw you?" Kokoa snorted in slight amusement.

"Don't insult me. It takes more than that to take out a vampire." The Princess sauntered away, before pausing and turning once more. "I want you to be there for the interrogation, Fang-Fang." She said, her tone indicating that this was not optional. Fang-Fang nodded, watching as Kokoa entered the castle once more.

XXXXX

Corma paused in his planning at the knock on the door. "Enter." He said. Hokuto opened the door to the study, his tall frame nearly hitting the top of the door. Corma waited for his servant to speak up, staring at him, but Hokuto just stood there. They stared at each other until finally Corma could take no more. "Yes?" He prompted. "What is it?"

"Tsukune is awake." Corma smiled.

"Good. It's about time he got what was coming to him." Corma rose from his seat and passed Hokuto, leaving the study. He didn't notice that Hokuto hadn't followed him out of the room.

Hokuto went to Corma's desk and look at his plans. He looked at the list of possibilities that Corma had written out; the layout of the castle; the various fighting styles of Princess Moka and Princess Kokoa. Hokuto looked at everything and absorbed what he could. He smiled; this would be even easier than he thought.


End file.
